


No Promises

by SilverQuill



Series: No Promises [1]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Tangled (2010), Tangled: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Older Varian (Disney), Original Character-centric, Post-Descendants 2, The Summary Explains The Rest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-07-10 23:56:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 44,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15960302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverQuill/pseuds/SilverQuill
Summary: Magic may be a thing of the past in Auradon, but Via doesn't work with magic.It's been three years since Uma's attack, and Auradon has changed. A lot. Auradon Prep is now an even mix of VKs and AKs with a goal of bringing over every kid from the Isle. Most of these VKs want to go good like Mal and her friends.Except for one brilliant young schemer by the name of Via. Daughter of Varian the Alchemist, Via's used to getting overlooked as the daughter of a minor villain. Ignored, underestimated and sick of it all, Via and her dad have hatched a plan to bring Auradon down from the inside- by releasing the villains imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost. All Via has to do is play the good girl for a while, and the rest is history.At first glance, Via thinks she's got the easy part. But being good is a lot harder when evil  is all she ever wanted.UPDATE: Via’s back by popular demand! Head over to Chapter 23 for news on the upcoming sequel!!





	1. Introduction: Via

A fist pounded on Via's door, accompanied by a voice.

"Via! Let's go, you're burning daylight here!"

Via groaned, clapping her raggedy pillow over her ears. "Daaaad!" she protested.

"Viaaaa!" he said, matching her tone. "Downstairs. Breakfast. Ten minutes. I mean it."

_Well, that's new._ He'd never given her a time limit before. Heck, he'd never worried about her sleeping in before, especially not on a Saturday like today.

It came back to her like one of the stomach punches her classmates were so fond of giving her. Right. Today was _that day._ She was finally on the list of kids set to leave this dump heap- the Isle of the Lost, they called it- and see how the other side lived- literally.

"After sixteen years I'm out of the mousetrap," she said, glancing over herself in the cracked, dingy mirror. Well, she certainly didn't intend to gussy up for the occasion; they could put up with the real Via, like it or not.

Via changed into her favorite shirt, the black and teal longsleeve with the silver threads and the short black jacket that she always wore with it. She pulled on a pair of ripped black jeans and rubbed the least malodorous of her expired-cosmetics collection over her face before starting work on her shoulder-length mess of black curls. She pulled it into a high ponytail and let a section of it, including the single blue streak she was so proud of, hang loose.

When she was done she stared at herself once again.

She was still too short for her age at only five three.She still had a dusting of freckles over her cheeks, and her eyes were still that weird steel blue color her dad's were.

But considering the fact that she was dressed from head to toe in the other side's garbage, she didn't look half bad.

She checked the cracked glass of the clock on her dresser. 9:03. When you subtracted five minutes from the rusty hands that never moved quickly enough, she was only three minutes late. Her dad could deal with that.

She took the stairs three at a time, abandoning the last half dozen in favor of the rotting bannister. She was never quite sure it wouldn't break when she slid down it, but it had yet to do so.

"Whoa," she said, walking into the kitchen and stopping short at the sight of her father. "I may have been burning daylight, but it looks like someone else was burning the midnight oil."

Her dad looked up. "Yeah. I had a late night." He gestured to the snowstorm of crumpled paper balls littering their already disheveled kitchen.

"Another breakthrough?" Via asked, squinting at the complex scientific calculations on some of the pages as she poured herself a bowlful of the least-stale cereal she could find and topped it off with the most promising of the milk cartons. The milk still smelled sour. _Typical_.

"More like a massive disappointment. I'll get it, though. I'm so close to shattering right through this thing." He took a sip of his coffee, wincing in distaste. "Do they _poison_ this stuff before they send it over here?"

"Wouldn't put it past 'em," Via said.

Her dad snorted. "Me neither."

"You sure my name's on the list to go over, Dad?"

"It's on there, Vi. Course when I gave _my_ name that government official squinted and said, 'Who?'"

"Figures," Via grumbled. She was used to being overlooked, ignored, even forgotten. Compared to the heavy hitters they lived with, her dad was a nobody, a minor among the major leagues.

By default, so was Via. Her sixteen years had been full of birthday parties she wasn't invited to, events she hadn't attended, teachers and classmates who'd forgotten her existence until they chose to pick on her.

"Betcha if they'd been from You-Know-Where they wouldn't have said that," Via said, and her dad smiled.

"Nope. Speaking of, you see anyone from there while you're over, especially those old friends of mine, you be sure to tell 'em hello from me."

"The kind of hello where everyone else says goodbye?" Via asked, and her dad nodded, raising his chipped coffee cup in a mock toast.

"Exactly."

And for a moment they laughed together, that special malicious laugh that only two partners in crime could ever share.

Yes, Via was used to being underestimated. But as her dad often said, underestimation meant they wouldn't see you coming.

And they definitely wouldn't suspect the plans she had.

Oh, those plans. They would shake Auradon right to its core. She couldn't have anticipated anything as much as she did that.

"The royal limo's going to cross the bridge soon," her dad said. "You remember what I told you? You're ready for this?"

Via smirked, hiking her black-velvet backpack up on one shoulder. "Ready as I'll ever be," she said.


	2. Chapter One: The Bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new world opens up to Via and her fellow VKs. They're free to enjoy it, but Via's got a job to do. And she's finding it harder than she expected to be a proper villain without Dad by her side.

Via had to admit, the bridge was pretty unbelievable. A swirling spiral of shimmering gold danced over the shiny blue Auradonian side of the sea, crafting a luminescent yellow bridge where, a second before, there had only been thin air.

 

Via was her father's daughter; she knew how science worked. And she knew science fell far short of explaining this. She watched openmouthed as the bridge materialized over the dark, murky Isle side of the ocean-  _her_ side- bringing the long, sleek, black royal limo ever closer to her.

 

Isle kids didn't care about appearances, but just this once Via ventured to comment. "It's pretty," she said, gesturing to the swirling particles of golden something-or-other.

 

Her father, beside her, nodded, but Via noticed that his face was as hard as the spikes of blue-black rock scattered around and through their dilapidated home. "What is it?" she asked. 

 

 "Nothing. It is pretty, Via, but it's a little hard for me to forget that the same force that's making that bridge is also keeping us trapped here." His steel blue eyes glinted, and Via felt her own resentment flare. Suddenly the golden bridge didn't look quite so beautiful. 

 

 "I've seen things like that bridge before," her father continued, half to himself. "Shiny, glimmering golden things, holding all the power in the world. But do they use it for  _everyone?_ Of course they don't."

 

He had that look in his eyes, the look that meant he was remembering what had brought them here. He was no longer talking about the shimmering bridge; he was talking about  _it._ About HER _._

 

Via knew the story. She knew the name her father hated above all others- Rapunzel, Queen of Corona. Princess Skip-The-Haircut herself. Queen of sunshine and light and magical flowers and betrayal and turning her back on her friends. The woman, the hair, and the magic flower, all connected into one power that could have spared Via and her father all of this, had its owner deigned to lift her royal finger.

 

But no. She'd just thrown them out like garbage and forgotten them, just like all of Auradon had. _Spoiled rotten, self-serving, arrogant little do-gooders._

 

No wonder her father did not trust golden things; too often they were only fool's gold. And Varian the Alchemist was no one's fool. Neither was Via.

 

With a sharp, sizzling crack, the sickly green magic-proof dome that covered the Isle of the Lost curved back to make a small opening, just wide enough for the golden bridge. The limo darted through like a black arrow, and the opening snapped shut again as the bridge melted away, keeping the broken, betrayed and rejected safely in their cage.

 

_The next time that opening closes, I'm gonna be on the other side of it._

 

The prospect was both exciting and slightly unnerving, and Via felt her body tense. Trying to convince herself that what she felt was not something so weak and un-villainy as _fear,_ she scanned the waiting area for the other kids.

 

There were five of them altogether, counting Via herself. Shen Yu's twins were growling menacingly at each other like they usually did, and Radcliffe's pudgy, pompous son Randall was lounging lazily across the one and only bench, his considerable bulk taking up the whole of the bench and then some. Celeste, daughter of Judge Claude Frollo, sat crosslegged, mouthing words to herself as she paged through a tattered French classic the size of a cinder block.

 

Via suppressed a groan at the sight of Celeste. Sure, the other VKs made her life miserable, and at five three there wasn't really a ton she could do about it, but at least they were acting like Isle kids were supposed to- like  _villains!_

 

Celeste, on the other hand, was one of those stupid anti-heroes- otherwise known as the pushovers who lined up to lick that traitor Mal's purple boots, desperate to "go good." Via had heard enough of King Beast's- oh, wait, no, it was King Ben now, wasn't it- anyway, the king's longwinded speeches told Via that Auradon's plan was for every Isle kid to end up like those anti-hero saps.

 

_Not a snowball's chance,_ Via thought. She had no intention of going good, and if King Beast and his pampered son had a problem with that, they could go jump in a lake. Preferably one of molten lava. Via allowed herself an evil grin at the image that thought conjured up.

 

_Now that's my kind of science experiment._

 

"Via," her dad said, sounding somewhat exasperated, "lose the leer. You're pretending you want to go good. That particular expression looks as if your heart's desire is to see every last citizen of Auradon eaten alive by rabid squirrels."

 

 "It is," Via said, and her father groaned.

 

 "For the love of villainy, Via,  _act_ like it isn't!"

 

With a slightly wicked giggle, Via rearranged her face to look as innocent and yearning as Celeste's. 

 

" _That_ expression," Varian said, "makes me sick to my stomach."

 

 "So it's perfect."

 

 "Exactly."

 

This time, Via kept her evil grin on the inside. 

 

She and her dad had gone over their plan in minute detail, picking out every possible flaw, repeating their respective roles until Via could say hers in her sleep. Varian might be counted as a worthless, low-ranking villain, but between their two heads they had come up with the greatest plot ever formed on the Isle of the Lost. And considering the citizens of the Isle, that was saying something.

 

The only part about the whole plan that Via was uncertain about was the part that was about to be set in motion. Their entire scheme hinged on Via's success to play a pathetic, charming little lost soul. She was literally about to become someone else, and she could never, not once, drop the act. At least not until they broke through the dome and released every last one of history's villains onto the peaceful, unsuspecting Auradon.

 

Then, of course, Via would be free to reveal her true nature, and she relished the thought of doing it. She would stare Rapunzel in the eyes, toss back the blue streak in her black hair, and say, with triumphant smugness in her voice, "Who betrayed who _now_ , princess?"

 

 She'd mark her calendar for that day. Payback would be sweet.

 

* * *

 

The bridge might have been impressive, Via thought, but the way they opened it was downright _stupid._ A remote. A tiny, black two-inch remote that could literally pierce right through a force field at the touch of a button. Anyone in Auradon could come and go as they pleased, but did the Isle-dwellers get the same treatment? Not even close.  _It's like we're almost pets to them. They've just gotta keep us in line, keep us alive, and their part's over with. Stupid, stuck-_ _up little...._

 

She cut off the thought. Feelings like that were likely to show on her face. Right now she needed to look as idiotically enraptured as Celeste, who had put the book down and was now gazing openmouthed out the window with an expression of oblivious bliss.

 

Inwardly cringing at the sheer Auradonian-ness of the thought, Via commanded herself to find something positive to focus on. Something positive...

 

Chocolate, she decided, reaching for a seventh piece of candy from the rapidly-diminishing stockpile in the back of the limo. The fact that the Isle kids had been forced to grow up without this delicious creamy aspect of heaven on earth- why, it could almost be counted as cruel and unusual punishment! She'd thought Auradon was a civilized country, for evil's sake.

 

Closing her eyes in pleasure as the chocolate melted on her tongue, Via angled herself away from the other VKs, folding her arms across the window sill and resting her head on them.

 

While it didn't compare to the chocolate, the limo was nice too, with shiny black paint and comfortable leather seats- seats that weren't ripped to shreds, unlike Cruella DeVil's flaming red junk pile, which was pretty much the only functional vehicle on the Isle.

 

But another thought quickly blasted through her head.  _You'd think if they're loaded enough to drive cars like this, they might give us villains a little more to get by on then their garbage. King Beast and his endless speeches are all just...stop it, Via, you're a good girl now._

 

Wow, she really had to get a handle on this whole anti-hero thing before she messed up the whole diabolical plan. One or two slip-ups could be attributed to her Isle upbringing, but comments along the lines of what she was thinking? At best, they'd get her some strange looks and plenty of elbow room from intimidated Auradon kids. At worst, they'd get her sent right back to the Isle, and what could she do there?

 

Zip. Zilch. Zero. In short, absolutely nothing.

 

So, as much as it might drive her crazy to have to do it, she had to take the Isle out of the girl for a while.

 

Fake it till you make it, that was what her dad had told her to do. He'd done it himself, during the wonderfully despicable Sundrop Heist: tricking a passel of idiot guards with truth-serum-laced cookies, pretending to be his greatest enemy's trusting little sidekick, and then turning around to make off with the single most powerful object in all of Corona. He'd even made the dramatic exit of a lifetime, disappearing in the violet fog of an alchemical explosion.

 

Except for the fact that the Sundrop had turned out to be absolutely 100% worthless, it was the perfect villainous plot. Heartbreaking for the hero, perfectly executed, and a heck of a lot more exciting than the boring old prick-your-finger-on-a-spindle or steal-a-mermaid's-voice plans.  _Everybody_ knew about those schemes. But it took a truly wicked villain to come up with something as nasty as what Via and her father had planned, and she was  _so_ ready to hit Auradon with all the villainy she could muster. She would make her dad proud.

 

She stared out the window at the gleaming blue water, beneath which all sorts of creatures might be swimming. Mermaids, perhaps, or those insipid talking fish and crabs that performed on the Sea Celebration each year. That was one of the few events that was actually shown on the Isle, and it was especially entertaining to lob rotten fruit and vegetables at the spotty Slop Shop television screen while it played.

 

Oh, gosh. Here she was, reminiscing of home, as awful as it was, like some weak, wimpy Auradon princess. An anti-hero, she could pretend to be. But not a damsel in distress.  _That_ was going way too far.

 

_I absolutely do_ not  _miss the Isle,_ she told herself.  _We haven't even made it to Auradon yet._

 

She made herself focus on something else again. From her position at the window, she could see just a sliver of magic bridge underneath the limo's wheels, and the spirals of golden dust left behind as the bridge disintegrated behind them, leaving them completely separated from everything and everyone they knew.

 

_What if it disintegrated too fast one day?_ Via wondered.  _What if the whole thing just collapsed? Would the dome around the Isle collapse too, or is that a different kind of magic?_

 

She stared calculatingly at the bridge, her scientific mind trying to figure out what would happen if it suddenly became unstable. Scientific questions always reminded her of whose daughter she was, refocusing her on the task at hand and not the embarrassing weak moments of the day.

 

And then suddenly the bridge and the water disappeared completely. For a single second Via wondered if it in fact  _had_ disintegrated, but she quickly realized the truth. The other VKs went quiet as they realized it too.

 

There was pavement underneath the limo now, stately houses and charming cottages lining the streets, gorgeous forests on the horizon.

 

They had crossed over the magic bridge. This was Auradon.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we come to the end of the exposition. Yes, I know I said I would update Monday, but inspiration came to me and, well, strike while the iron's hot. Next week I may be a bit slower, because outside of fanfiction, I'm an aspiring novelist and I'll be working on finalizing my first book for publication. But I will update sometime this week. As usual, please leave a comment, and thank you so, so much to those who already did, I so enjoyed reading them.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!


	3. Chapter Two: A (Mostly) Warm Welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Via gets her first taste of Auradon and starts to craft her plan of attack. She's got her strategy worked out and her end goal in sight- but the sudden appearance of an individual from her father's past may complicate things.

Auradon Prep was a tall, stately stone building, surrounded by charming cobblestone patios and elegant, perfectly manicured green lawns. A fountain gurgled and bubbled in front of the building, and a classy welcome sign read "Welcome to Auradon Prep: Goodness Doesn't Get Any Better!" The scene was idyllic, like something out of a fairytale (which in fact it was).

 

Celeste gave a delighted little coo as she stepped from the limo. Obviously, Claude Frollo's daughter was completely enraptured with the peacefulness and beauty of Auradon.

 

Via, however, was not. Alarm bells were already going off in her head.  Perfect things never were, her dad always said. She didn't trust these new surroundings; they were too sweet, too innocent, too clean and pure and pretty. Everything that Via definitely did not match up to.

 

She felt the side of her mouth curl up into her signature smirk and quickly forced herself to mirror Celeste's moronic, half-dazed expression. A plump, apple-cheeked woman with brown hair and dimples was rushing across the lawn toward them, as rapidly as her ample build and two-inch heels would allow.

 

_Oh, great. The Pumpkin Prima Donna_ _herself._

 

"Welcome, welcome, welcome!" Fairy Godmother sang out. "Oooh, this never gets old! Now, first things first." She whipped out a pale blue clipboard on which was fastened a stack of documents. "Names?"

 

No one spoke. They were far from the first VKs at Auradon; they had seen other Isle kids arriving here. It had been broadcast on the poor-quality Isle TV channels multiple times before. But to actually be in Auradon themselves was a new experience, unfamiliar and a bit overwhelming.

 

Well, to everyone except Via. Oh, she was nervous too, but for quite a different reason.

 

  _Okay, Via, opening move,_ she told herself.  _From here on out I've gotta play the Auradon game until The Experiment is ready. I have to win the Fairy Godmother over._

 

She glanced around at the other VKs, then took a step forward.  _Not too much now, don't overdo it. You're still an Isle girl. They'll expect that._

 

 "I'm Via," she said, propping a hand on her hip and tossing her hair back. At the same time, however, she let her eyes dart anxiously from side to side and her forehead crease just slightly, creating the perfect picture of a bashful, insecure young girl trying to act tough.  _Gets 'em every_ _time._

 

And it certainly seemed to completely fool Fairy Godmother. "Well!" she said brightly, giving Via a sympathetic smile. "Thank you for being brave enough to speak up first. That's a very important quality, you know. Now then, who'd like to follow Via's lead?"

 

One by one, the other VKs gave their names. Fairy Godmother nodded and smiled at each in turn, though none so enthusiastically as she had Via. Speaking up had been a very smart play, Via realized now. It made her stand out from the others in a way that could only help her in her plans.

 

_Good first impression: check._

 

 "Now then!" Fairy Godmother chirped, when the last introduction had been made. "Since it's a Saturday, you'll have the day to settle in and learn how things work around here, right after a special assembly in the auditorium. If you'll follow me?" 

She set off at the same brisk pace, and the VKs fell into line behind her, Via at the head. Fairy Godmother conducted them into a wide, spacious hall, flooded with more light than Via had known was possible inside a building. A spiral staircase led up to the top floors of the school.

 

And coming down that spiral staircase were the two someones that Via despised most in the world (next to Rapunzel and Eugene and that lady-in-waiting slash warrior, what was her name again?)

 

 "Ah! Perfect timing!" Fairy Godmother said. "Mal, Ben, this is the latest group of young people to arrive from the Isle."

 King Ben flashed his gentle smile, the one that brought immediate thoughts of _if you were on fire and I had a glass of water I would drink it and laugh in your face_ to Via's head.

 

 "Well, we are, of course, very glad to have them," he said, tearing his gaze off of Mal's perfect face long enough to make what was likely intended to sound like a kingly speech. Via remolded her own face into a mix of awestruck and nervous that would undoubtedly pull on the strings of King Ben's bleeding heart. Mentally, however, she let the words  _I detest you and everything you stand for_ run repeatedly through her brain.

 

Mal, for her part, was looking over each VK one at a time- the Yu twins, Randall, Celeste. She seemed to recognize each of them, and smiled and nodded to Celeste, with whom she had exchanged greetings once or twice back at Dragon Hall.

 

But Via was a different story. Mal's eyes, when they came to rest on the alchemist's daughter, held not even a flicker of recognition. 

 

And why should they, Via thought. Back before Ben had made his ludicrous decision, before the first four VKs had chosen good, Mal had been the queen of the Isle. Via had been absolutely nobody. No wonder Mal had not the slightest idea who she was. _Oooh, that's gonna change._

 

This time, face to face with the traitor of the Isle, playing the good girl was just too much. Via drained every last drop of her emotion, leaving a stone face with eyes as cold as ice.  _Bring it,_ that expression said, and for just a moment Mal's eyes widened and then narrowed, as if she was sizing up the challenge. 

 

But at that exact moment, Ben concluded his speech and took Mal's arm again, causing her to gaze adoringly into his eyes.

 

_Ugh. What_ happened  _to her?_

 

The king and his girlfriend said their goodbyes and moved on. Mal never even glanced back at Via; she was invisible yet again. _Oh, just you wait, "Lady Mal." You have no idea what I've got up my sleeve._

 

 "Oh, that was lovely," Fairy Godmother gushed. "I know Ben just loves seeing you Isle children here. It was all his idea, you know. Well, let's hurry along, the assembly's about to start."

 

* * *

 

Exactly forty-seven and a half minutes later (scientists liked to be exact) Via walked out of the assembly hall, dragging her suitcase with one hand and holding her backpack with the other. Her head was spinning with more information on "choosing goodness" than she had ever,  _ever_ wanted to know.

 

There were several, more practical facts swimming around in her head too. Via now knew a lot of key things about Auradon Prep.

 

A) Classes started  _early._ Like, get-up-at-six-o'clock-or-you'll-be-late early. And they definitely weren't like the Dragon Hall classes, in which teachers  _expected_ students to be late. Via was going to have to rearrange her schedule some. Not a big problem.

 

B) The rules did not apply to Mal. Via knew this because when Fairy Godmother had explained about roommates, she had specifically mentioned that, due to the even split, every room would be shared by two people, one VK and one AK. After checking the list of who was paired with who, it was obvious this wasn't quite true. Mal and her best friend Evie- who were both VKs- had been roomed together, as had Mal's special friends Carlos and Jay. _I guess now I know who runs this place_ _._

 

Of course, Mal had also run the Isle, and she was, after all, a dark fairy in possession of incredible powers, so maybe it wasn't that big a shock. Via had stayed out of Mal's way back at home; she could do it again here.

 

C) Via's roommate was somebody named Audrey. The name sounded familiar, but Via couldn't exactly place it. She only knew two things about the owner of the name: she wasn't Rapunzel's daughter, which was good because Via could _not_ have kept up the act if she'd been roomed with Blondie 2.0. Via also knew that Audrey was one of those Auradon rich girls she always saw on TV- perfect, pink and pretty, with a side of dimwitted to go with it. Shallow. Boring.  _No prob._ Via could pull the wool over her new roommate's eyes with one hand tied behind her back.

 

And finally, D) While the VKs, for obvious reasons, had almost no contact with the Isle, they were allowed to video-call their parents once a week, on Thursday afternoons, with the supervision of one of the teachers. Since she had found out that bit of information, Via had been all but counting the minutes. _If there is one person I need to talk to, right_ now,  _it's Dad. Mainly to ask him how the heck I'm going to pull this off._

 

No, no, she couldn't think like that. She had to believe she could do this. Dad would be there to help, but the next phase of the plan was in Via's hands now.

 

She walked briskly along the hallway, heading to her dorm, as she forced herself to think logically.

 

One step at a time. That was how she had to approach this. She had already impressed the Fairy Godmother that morning. Although, truth be told, she had kind of messed it up when it came to Mal. Seeing how important Mal seemed to be in this school, Via would have to smooth things over with her down the road.

 

But for now, she focused on the next step. 

 

Audrey. Her roommate, whoever she was, was the next person Via needed to concentrate on fooling. If she could win Audrey over, then the word would spread that she had turned over a new leaf. Which would, of course, set things up perfectly to turn the tables later.

 

So what did Via know about Audrey? Well, she wasn't from Corona; more than likely she had not the slightest idea who Via, or her father, were. That could only help matters.

 

Audrey was a princess. Via was not. In Via's limited experience, though, princesses liked getting attention from non-princesses.

 

So that was how she had to play it. She'd start off as the typical Isle girl- rough, callused, evil. When Audrey entered, though, Via's hardness would turn to absolute awe. She'd be shocked, admiring, desperate for Audrey's favor. She'd worship the other girl, if she had to. Why not? It would make it all the sweeter when she turned the whole thing around. This Audrey girl would...

 

"Hold it _right_ there!"

 

 The voice cut straight through Via's thoughts. A heavy hand landed on her shoulder, spinning her around, and as she turned she found herself looking into a pair of eyes.

 

A pair of very angry green eyes that belonged to the scariest looking woman Via had ever seen. And considering that she'd grown up on the Isle, that was saying quite a lot.

 

The woman's skin wasn't just pale. It was white, almost the color of paper. Her eyelashes were thick and dark, lined with black mascara. Her hair was slightly curly and the same color as the mascara, cut into a sharp, angular bob. The expression on the woman's face made Via wish for the ability to dry up and blow away.  _Answers,_ that expression demanded.  _Now. Or you'll be sorry._

 

Via had never seen the woman in her life. Yet strangely, she seemed familiar. 

 

Then Via caught sight of the Corona sun symbol, the same one her dad repeatedly sketched and then crumpled up when he was frustrated, stitched onto the pocket of the woman's grey jacket. And the pieces fell into place.

 

This was the one character of her father's story that she had not been able to remember that morning. Varian had said the name before, once or twice, always with a flash behind his eyes that looked almost like pain. That flash always hardened into anger. Anger much like that in the woman's face right at this very moment.

 

_Help._

 

"Cassie!" Via breathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't see that coming, did you?


	4. Chapter Three: Next Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sudden appearance of Cassandra makes Via's job a lot harder. Oh, yeah, and her roommate could be trouble. But hey, Via's got it handled, right?  
> Right?

The woman's green eyes flashed. "It's Cass," she said. "Actually, to you, it's nothing at all. What are you-"

 

 "Is everything all right, Cassandra?"

 

_Oh, thank wickedness._ Fairy Godmother, right on cue. 

 

 "No, it's not. Why wasn't I told about this? If you're going to bring the daughter of the monster who tried to kill me over here, then I think I've got a right to know about it!"

 

Flustered, Fairy Godmother smoothed her skirt, avoiding Cassandra's gaze as her hands fluttered nervously. "Technically, the decision of whom to allow into Auradon belongs to King Ben alone. He doesn't need your approval to-"

 

 "King Ben is nineteen. And he's been to Corona what, once or twice for a picnic with his girlfriend? I'm sorry, Fairy Godmother, but nobody knows Varian like I do. He's completely insane. What if his daughter turns out the same way?" 

 

_"His daughter" is standing right here, moron._

 

 "I have a daughter of my own who attends this school," Cassandra said. "Don't you think she should have been told about this girl's arrival? Given the family history?"

 

 Via nearly choked.  _Cassandra has a kid_ _? Who in their right mind was crazy enough to marry the woman?_

 

 "Perhaps we should have told you beforehand," Fairy Godmother conceded. "But all the children on the Isle deserve a fair chance at happiness, no matter who their parents are. Look at Lady Mal-"

 

_Her again._

 

 "-Daughter of Maleficent, of all people! And now she's the king's own girlfriend, and as different from her mother as she could possibly be! Shouldn't we give Via the same chance?"

 

 Cassandra's eyes narrowed, and she drew in a long breath. "Fine," she said. "But I'm making sure Queen Rapunzel knows about this. And don't come crying to me if this all blows up in your face."

 

She turned on her heel and strode away without another word.

 

 "Nice to meet you too," Via muttered at her retreating form. Fairy Godmother gave her an apologetic smile.

 

 "I'm sorry about that, Via," she said. "Truly I am. You understand how...certain past events...could plant, er, mistrust, in Cassandra. She'll come around, I'm sure."

 

 "Uh-huh," Via said, in a tone that said the exact opposite. Not surprisingly, her sarcasm went straight over the Fairy Godmother's head.

 

 "Give it time," she said brightly, patting Via's hand. "Give it time." She scurried away, calling for her own daughter, Jane.

 

Via paid absolutely no attention to her. She stood stone-still in the school hallway, trying to convince herself that  _no,_ she did  _not_ want to tear something into eight hundred and sixty-two tiny little pieces.

 

But she did.  _Why can't I ever catch a break? Why doesn't anything ever go my way for once?_

 

Thanks to Cassandra, Via's job had just gotten a whole lot harder. Cassandra expected her to be up to something; she'd be watching her like a hawk. Or an owl. She had an owl, if Via was remembering her dad's stories correctly.

 

But if Cassandra was watching her, then she would also be prepared to put a stop to anything evil Via tried to accomplish. And the entire point of her dad's plan was that  _no one_ would be prepared for it.

 

Things only got worse. Not only was Cassandra watching her, ready to pounce at the first sign of trouble, but she was also going to tell Rapunzel about all of it. Ten to one the princess would be on her guard after that. 

 

Meaning, of course, that the one person whom Via and her dad hated the most would be waiting for them to attack. _Terrific. Just terrific._

 

Via started for her room again. She couldn't panic. It was a temporary setback, as her father would say. She'd figure a way out of it. She always did. If all else failed she could let Dad know about what had happened and hope he had a plan B.  _Who am I kidding, he always has a plan B._

 

She pulled out the scrap of paper on which her dorm number was written. "7B..." she mumbled, heading for the nearest spiral staircase.

 

Five minutes later she still hadn't made it to the top of said staircase. It turned out getting a gigantic suitcase up a spiral was harder than she'd thought. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she growled, giving the bag a savage jerk, only for it to get caught in the swirly white railing for the seventh time.

 

 "You know, there are other people who need to get up the stairs." 

 

The voice came from behind her, low and serious, a girl's voice.

 

 "Sor- _ry,"_  Via snapped. 

 

 "What I'm saying is, you're holding up the line. Would you like some help with that?" The girl swept gracefully up beside Via and took the suitcase, easily wiggling it free. Cold. Her hands were  _cold._

 

One look at her face and Via saw why. She was tall and willowy, dressed in white pants and a blue shirt edged with silver rhinestones. Her straight white-blond hair hung loose around her shoulders, and she wore a silver snowflake charm at her throat.

 

Via had seen her before too, just like she'd seen all the Auradon princesses- on TV during various celebrations. This was the daughter of Elsa, Queen of Arendelle.

 

The girl carried Via's suitcase to the top of the stairs and set it down. "There," she said. 

 

 "Thanks," Via said. It wasn't like she wanted to say it, but she did, for the sake of pretending to be the good girl.

 

 "It's no problem." The girl turned and walked crisply- no, regally was a better word- down the hall. As she did so Via caught sight of the name embroidered on the small silver purse she carried.  _Erika._

 

Wow. It took a moment for Via to process what had just happened. Someone helping her, when she needed help- other than her dad, that would never have happened on the Isle. Not in a million years.

 

Wait. Was that what Auradon was all about? Not just sundrops and glass slippers and perfect princesses, but...kindness? It didn't seem so bad after all...

 

Via cut  _that_ thought off even before it finished running through her brain. "I'm losing my mind," she mumbled. 

 

 She grabbed the handle of her suitcase and went to find Room 7B.

 

* * *

 

Pink. So much pink. Via passed a hand in front of her face to make sure her eyeballs weren't actually melting out of her skull. They weren't. They just felt that way.

 

Actually, it was only one half of the room that was exploding with various shades of rose. About twenty overly fluffy, coral-colored pillows sat on top of a thick, downy comforter the color of cotton candy. The frame of the bed was white and spiraly, reminding Via uncomfortably of the staircase railing. A pair of amaranth-colored slippers sat underneath the bed, perched on a bubblegum-hued rug that was so puffy a small animal could have gotten lost in it and never found its way out again.

 

Dresser, nightstand, closet door, artwork on the walls, every single item on that side of the room- pink, pink,  _pink._ Once in a while a hint of white or pale blue broke up the monotony, but for the most part things looked as if a bed of carnations had volcanically erupted.

 

Was there such a thing as visual assault? If there was, Via was looking right at it.  _I think I might be sick._

 

Sure, the room looked pretty. The curtains of sheer satin (pink, of course) hanging down from the tall spiral bedposts gave it a magical, princessy effect that made it seem like Via was standing in the middle of a castle. Too bad she'd never aspired to princess-hood.

 

The other side of the room was more her speed. The bedframe was still spiraly, but this time it had been painted a dark grey, and it lacked those massive bedposts. The only thing on it was a white mattress. Via walked over and poked a finger into it. She almost fell over.

 

_Oh my gosh, it feels like those marshmallow things they had in the limo. This is gonna be like sleeping on a cloud._ Via might have utterly despised Auradon, but this was definitely a plus when compared to the glorified brick she had slept on at home. 

 

She gazed around the rest of the room. Now that she was getting used to the offensive pinkness of the left side, she could see how big and sunny the room really was.  _I think I could fit our entire house in here. And there's more windows than...well, there's a lot of windows._

 

And the furniture on her side was grey, a light dove grey that was still pretty, but just dark enough for Via to feel okay with it.

She unzipped her suitcase, which proceeded to explode as if she'd stuffed it with Mexican jumping beans.  _Well, I'm never getting that zipped up again. Might as well unpack._

 

She threw her teal-and-black blanket and pillow (her single, solitary pillow, as opposed to the twenty pink puffballs on the other side of the room) over the bed and pulled them straight. She was a scientist; perfectionism came naturally to her. Sometimes. Her dad, not so much.

 

She pulled her five outifts, all teal and black, of course, from the bag and hung them up on the fancy wooden hangers in her closet. Huh. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn't have a lot of clothes. She hadn't needed them on the Isle; nobody cared how long you went without changing your shirt. At least the Fairy Godmother had explained that each VK would receive an allowance each week; that would help with the problem.

 

Next she went to work on her personal items. Toothbrush on the sink on one side of the (sigh, pink) bathroom. Makeup collection in the cabinet beneath the sink.  _That_ would have to be replaced, definitely. 

 

Her notebook full of alchemical equations and whatnot went in the top drawer of the dresser. Six or seven random vials of mostly-harmless liquids that Via had invented herself went on top of the dresser, next to the one thing that mattered more to her than anything else in the world.

 

A family picture, painted by a street artist when Via was just six. Her dad, with his signature half-smirk and his hand on Via's shoulder. Via herself, short, gap-toothed and chubby-cheeked, with a malicious glint in her enormous blue eyes.

 

And Mom. Mom, who Via wouldn't have been remembered if it hadn't been for the picture. Mom with one hand on her hip and her head cocked to one side, eyes squinted up at the corners and a sneer on her face, looking as if she could take on the world and come out without a scratch. Mom had always looked years older than Dad, partly because she was so much taller and more hardened. But in reality, the two weren't that far apart. 

 

Via didn't know much about her mother, not even her name. She was still on the Isle, somewhere, but she'd left the family. Once, only once, Via had asked her father why.

 

 "Because that's how she was, Vi," Varian had said. "She could never stay in one place for long. She was always looking for something more, something different. But she would have stayed if I had asked her to."

 

 "Why didn't you?" the then ten-year-old Via had asked, and Varian's face had grown hard. 

 

 "Because I wouldn't keep your mother in a cage. I know what that feels like. I knew she had to go. It's not forever though. Someday, when things get better, she'll be back."

 

 But things never seemed to get better. And Mom had never come back.

 

The sound of the door being opened broke Via from her thoughts. She whirled around, coming face to face with her roommate.

 

_Oh, no._

 

Brown hair, luminous dark eyes, flawless complexion, preppy pink dress-  _now,_ staring right at her, Via remembered who Audrey was. Sleeping Beauty's daughter. The one Via and her father had always called Princess Brat.

 

_Seriously, life hates me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't figured it out by now, this story has OCs all over the place. Erika is one, Cass's daughter is another.
> 
> And speaking of Cass's daughter, Via brought up a good question, didn't she? Who do you guys think married Cassandra? How about Varian? One hint: Cass's husband and Via's mom are both named characters from the show. Give me your best guess in the comments!


	5. Chapter Four: Words on a Page

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rocky start with her new roommate, Via finds out about a potentially challenging situation- one that will take all her skill to slip past.

For one single moment the two girls just stared at each other- the petite, pale Via with her Isle-esque outfit and tousled hair, and the tall, willowy, gorgeous princess with her perfect, well, everything.

 

Audrey was the first one to recover. "What is going on?" she demanded, her sweet voice rising into something that was halfway between a cry and a shriek. "Who are you? And what are you doing in  _my_ room? You're not stealing from me, are you? Tell me what you're doing!"

 

_Step one: Evil it up for a minute. Fit her stereotype._

 

 "Maybe I would tell you, if you'd let me get a word in edgewise," Via shot back, flipping her hair and propping a hand on her hip. "And this isn't your room. It's mine." She gave the other girl her father's signature smirk. "I'm Via. You can call me your new roommate."

 

 " _What?_ But I....I'm not supposed to have a roommate! I requested a room to myself!"

 

 "How sad for you," Via remarked, walking over to her bed and lounging across it in a manner that clearly said  _I do not care about you or your pathetic problems._

 

 "This has got to be a mistake," Audrey snapped, shaking back her long dark curls. "Don't go thinking you're staying here long. I'm taking this up with Fairy Godmother right now!"

 

 "You do that," Via advised, casually examining her fingernails. Audrey stomped her foot- _actually stomped her foot-_ and flounced out of the room.

 

 "That went well," Via said to nobody in particular. She stood up, straightening out her bedspread, and wandered around the room for a moment, planning her next steps with Audrey.

 

Raised voices broke her from her thoughts. Well, one raised voice. Audrey's. And the Fairy Godmother's, significantly softer, like a very distressed bird. "I can't believe this!" Audrey screeched, and the sound of her high heels click-clacked closer to the door. Via resumed her previous position on the bed.

 

Audrey planted herself in the doorway, Fairy Godmother right behind her. Via looked up in mild surprise, pretending that she hadn't heard that coming. "Is there a problem?" she asked innocently.

 

 "Yes!" Audrey exploded, at the same time as Fairy Godmother said, "Of course not, dear."

 

Via widened her eyes, raising an eyebrow at Audrey as if to say, "What are you talking about _?"_

 

With a look of anger mixed with desperation, Audrey turned to Fairy Godmother. "You have to listen to me," she pleaded. "I can't share a room. I just can't! Especially not with a...a villain!"

 

 "Via isn't a villain, Audrey," Fairy Godmother said. "Her father is. She isn't. Isn't it only fair to give her a chance?"

 

 "Not in my room."

 

 "Audrey." Fairy Godmother's voice held a warning edge. "I know your preferences, dear, and I truly wish that every student could have their own room. Unfortunately, to do that would require a school building roughly the size of Camelot Heights, and that's just not an option. Via will be staying here. I'm sure you girls will get along just fine, once you get to know each other." She patted Audrey's shoulder and scurried away.

 

 "I don't want to get to know her," Audrey muttered, talking as if Via didn't even exist. She sat down at her (pink, of course) vanity table and began gooping up her lips with a rose-colored lipstick that smelled delectably of chocolate. 

 

 "I shouldn't have to share a room at all," Audrey told her reflection, seizing a hairbrush and attacking her hair with about the same ferocity that Mulan had used in defeating the Huns. "Doesn't Fairy Godmother realize who I am? I'm a  _princess,_ after all!"

 

_That's my cue._

 

Via pushed herself bolt upright on the bed, letting a look of genuine-except-it-wasn't interest spread over her face. "You're a princess?" she asked. "Like, for real?"

 

 "Yes! Duh! My mother is Princess Aurora! I'm royalty, and as such, I am entitled to the best." Audrey slammed the hairbrush down on the table and stood facing Via, both hands on her hips.

 

 "You," she said, her lip curling, "are not the best. You're just some Isle nobody who wouldn't have anything at all if we didn't give it to you.  _I'm_ going to be the queen of an entire country one day, and all you'll ever be is the daughter of...what even _was_ he, some two-bit wizard?"

 

 "An alchemist, actually..."

 

 "Do I look like I care? The point is, I'm important to this kingdom and you're not, so just remember that."

 

_Wow,_ Via thought.  _Would it be breaking character too much if I popped her one in the face? See how pretty she is with a broken nose?_

 

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to continue with her plan.

 

 "I've never, um, actually met a princess before," she said. "I've seen your mom...on TV...but I've never, like, actually...wow, this is just...wow."

 

Audrey's eyes narrowed, and then widened. She brushed a hand through her hair. "Well, now you have," she said icily, but Via was used to people like Audrey. They were plentiful on the Isle. Via had immediately picked up on the fact that Audrey's voice no longer held as much brattiness as it had just a few moments before.

 

_Flattery one, princess zero. I'm winning her over. If I've got to play the devoted admirer for awhile, so what?_

 

 "Gosh," she said, clearing her throat awkwardly. "I, uh, I'm sorry about the whole room thing. I didn't realize you were a princess. I won't take up much room, I promise. I can't really move out though; King Ben said-"

 

 "King Ben is an idiot," Audrey said. "Know how I know that? He broke up with me a while back. Me, of all people! Can you imagine?"

 

 "Not really," Via said. She was being honest there; she couldn't imagine any boy even wanting to _date_ this beautiful brat.

 

Audrey smiled a little. "Neither could I," she said. She pursed her lips and studied Via for a moment, as if she had never seen her before.

 

 "You're not as bad as you could be, I guess," she said finally. "And it's not like I really have a choice. You can stay. But just remember who's who."

 

 "Sure," Via said. "Thanks."

 

_I am officially counting the seconds until I get to throw some alchemy in your pretty, pampered face. I wonder if Dad has anything that can make people spontaneously break out in incurable acne._

 

* * *

 

Two hours later, Via sat perched on the edge of her bed, frowning at a piece of paper in her hands. Audrey was gone, out shopping with two of her friends- Erika, the girl Via had already met, and Tinkerbell's daughter Twinkle Bell. Via was taking the opportunity to go over her class syllabus and the descriptions of each class.

 

First up was the cornerstone of all VK classes at Auradon Prep- Remedial Goodness 101. Via could ace that, as long as she stayed in character. Not a problem. Pretty basic stuff, actually, from what she was seeing on the class overview.

 

Then came mathematics. Via could handle that too, perhaps not quite as easily as she could Remedial Goodness, but math was an integral part of the job when she worked with her father, and she was confident she could figure it out.

 

Next on the list was grammar. Ugh, who needed  _that?_ As long as you could insult someone properly and think of comebacks quickly enough, you had a pretty good handle on Isle speak. Grammar might be difficult, but it probably wouldn't be  _overly_ challenging.

 

Then there was chemistry. Ah-ha-ha. 

 

 "Is that a joke?" Via asked the paper. She'd learned to recite chemical formulas before she'd learned to speak English. More than likely she knew more than the teacher did.  _I can pass that class blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back._

 

Via moved on to the next class, Safety Rules for the Internet. Okay, safety rules were boring. But being that she'd never even seen the Internet before, she couldn't help being a little bit excited for that particular class. 

 

The next three came rapid-fire. Virtues and Values. Another fake-it-till-you-make-it case.

 

Life Skills Without Magic. Hello. That was pretty much Via's life already.

 

Magical History. Uh, what? If they couldn't use it, why study it? Oh, well. Maybe she'd pick up some new information on that stupid Sundrop.

 

Only one class really stuck out to her as a difficult one. History of Auradon.

 

 "Excuse me," Via said out loud, "What history?"

 

This kingdom had only been around for about twenty years, after all. And there wasn't much to its history.

 

King Beast got an idea and skipped his honeymoon, his son had the bright idea of equal opportunity, Mal betrayed the entirety of her homeland and got herself a prince on the side, a loony pirate and her bunch of wackos went off-the-walls crazy, and then everything was perfectly fine. The end, close the book, happy ever after. Except, of course, for those who didn't "deserve it."

 

It wasn't a particularly interesting story, in Via's opinion. And there didn't seem to be enough material in it to justify an entire class.  _Maybe I'm missing something._

 

She shuffled through her stack of papers until she found the overview of the class. For the first three or four days, the material was just what she had thought it was. Well, those tests wouldn't be hard, at least.

 

But then, about the sixth day in, she saw it.  _History of Individual Kingdoms and Areas._

 

Curiously, Via glanced over the listed places. Apparently, the class would be studying the kingdoms alphabetically.

She ran a finger down the list. 

 

Agrabah, Arendelle, Atlantica, Auroria, Bayou de Orleans, Camelot Heights, Charmington, Cinderellasburg...

 

She stopped.

 

There it was, right on the syllabus, scheduled for Day 15.

 

**_Corona_** , the syllabus read, in the same delicate swirling script as the rest of page.

 

But to Via, the word might as well have been written in blood.

 

All of a sudden she envisioned herself in that classroom, sitting there in that desk, listening to some Auradonian teacher who had no idea what had really happened give an explanation of her father's story. He'd be the villain of the story; fine by Via. They were the villains, after all; they had never aspired to be anything else.

 

But the reasons behind her father's actions, the injustice he had suffered, the complete and utter hypocrisy of the Sundrop princess- would they talk about that in Auradon? Oh, no, of course not. Things in Auradon were black or white, good or bad, dark or light, moon or sun. There was no middle ground, no grey area. There was no room for Via.

 

 "Who needs them?" Via snarled fiercely, blinking rapidly and trying to tell herself that _no,_ she was absolutely  _not_ about to cry.

 

_I miss Dad._

 

It startled Via for a moment. She usually shut that little voice down, that little voice that sometimes whispered things a proper villain would never even think about thinking.

 

She hadn't heard that voice for a long time. But this time it was right. "I miss Dad," she whispered aloud, staring down at that one word-  _Corona-_ written down in that black, unforgiving, beautiful script. "I miss Dad."

 

 The word blurred on the page for a moment, and something splashed onto the paper. Via jerked her head up, startled, wiping quickly at her eyes.  _Stop. There's no time for this._

 

She leapt to her feet, darting to her dresser, grabbing one of the vials from it, a vial full of a blue-black liquid that glowed slightly, like the rocks around their home, the rocks that had started it all. She dipped her finger into the liquid and touched it to the paper, next to the name of the kingdom that had turned its back on her father.

 

  _Liars,_ she wrote, in bold, dripping letters.

 

No, there was no room for Via in Auradon.

 

But that was all right. She could always shove a few people out of the way.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never be a novelist, guys. It's a tough job. And it takes like, all of your time.
> 
> But I did find enough precious seconds to get this done. Some things.
> 
> First off, thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter. Y'all are amazing. We will find out about Via's mother eventually. For this chapter, though, I'd like to ask you guys to comment what you think Cass's daughter should be named. (Preferably, names that start with a C, cause you know, the alliteration thing).
> 
> Also, should Via turn good at the end of this? Or should she remain a villain? Let me know!


	6. Chapter Five: Just By Coincidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Via's learning more about how Auradon works, and not everything she discovers fits with the kingdom's perfect image. Meanwhile, on the Isle of the Lost, not all is going according to plan...

Via was up bright and early on Monday morning. She reached up to the window beside her bed and pulled open the curtains, flooding the room with sunlight.

  


Audrey, buried under a pile of pink pillows, yelped. "Hey! I'm trying to sleep here!"

  


 "Sorry," Via said, hoping she sounded like she meant it. She reached out to pull the curtain closed.

  


 "Too late for that, I'm already up," Audrey grumbled. "You might as well leave it open."

  


_Then why the heck did you say anything in the first place?_

_  
_

Keeping her thoughts to herself, Via pulled her usual teal and black color scheme out of her dresser drawers and disappeared into the shower. When she reemerged ten minutes later, dressed and made-up with her hair freshly ponytailed, Audrey was still in the exact same position on her bed, draped across the pillows, having made no effort whatsoever to get ready for the day.

  


She squinted at Via's outfit. "I forgot how bad the Isle sense of fashion is," she said. "Don't worry, yours will get better the longer you're on this side of the bridge."

  


 Via stared at her for a long moment.  _Excuse me? Sorry, Auradon, but your whole flowers-and-butterflies gig doesn't really hold up well when one of your most famous princesses is a complete and total diva. What is up with this place? I thought it was supposed to be perfect, but I'm finding some real nasty skeletons in the Auradon closet._

_  
_

 "Heeellloo? Are you still there?"

  


 Audrey's voice broke Via from her thoughts, and she blinked. "What? Sorry, I was thinking about...something else."

  


Audrey just rolled her eyes, not even giving Via the dignity of a reply.

  


Via glanced over at the pink crystal alarm clock on Audrey's dresser. 8:00 am. Classes started in half an hour, and she still had to eat breakfast, get her books from her locker, and find her classroom.

  


 "Shouldn't you be up by now?" she asked Audrey. The princess rolled her eyes again.  _Keep doing that and you might find a brain in there somewhere,_ Via thought.

  


 "Oh, please. It doesn't take me more than a minute to get ready. I practically wake up flawless."

  


 Via had to admit she did- seriously, whose hair stayed soft and silky like that during the night? She shrugged, pulled the blanket straight over her bed, and exited the room, leaving Sleeping Beauty's daughter lounging in a patch of sunlight.

  


She would never have been able to do that on the Isle, she thought. Sure, she slept in sometimes, but when she was up she was up for the day. And even if she decided to skip Dragon Hall for the day, there was always work to be done in her father's lab.

  


Well, what passed for a lab on the Isle. They'd had to take some interesting shortcuts a few times when they didn't have the ingredient they needed for whatever they were concocting that day. So far, it had always worked out, and they'd even managed to invent some pretty neat stuff. A stronger version of her dad's booby trap gel, for example, one that was impossible to break free from. A sleeping powder that lasted for days. And Via's favorite, a small, pressurized glass ball which, when it exploded, turned anything it touched red-hot.

  


The one thing they had never managed to create, however, was the one thing Varian spent most of his time trying to figure out- something that could break through the magical barrier surrounding the Isle.

  


 "Couldn't the wand do that?" Via had asked once, after Failure #573.

  


 "It's been done." Varian waved the idea aside. "Twice, actually. Once with that little turncoat of a fairy, and once with that, uh, squid-girl thing. Not sure what was up with that, it defied a lot of scientific laws and theoretically it can't even...anyway, the point is, they'll be watching that wand like hawks. They expect someone to try and steal it. Meaning we've got to try something they don't expect. And what they don't expect is for someone to break out from the inside."

  


That conversation was what had sparked the plan they were putting into place now. No one on the Isle knew exactly how the barrier worked. It was just there, an everyday part of life. 

  


But, Varian had reasoned, there had to be more information about it somewhere on Auradon, and it was Via's job to find that information and get it back to her father. Varian would proceed to develop whatever serum or potion or invention they needed to destroy it completely, and every last villain on the Isle would be free to enter Auradon as they pleased, dealing the "perfect kingdom" a crippling blow.

  


That was the planned revenge for Auradon, which had forced so many people to live the same way Via and her father had- struggling to get by, with nothing to think about every waking moment except the past that had gone so terribly wrong.

The second part of the plan, which even Via did not yet know, was targeting Corona itself, in revenge for the conflict that had _actually_ started it all. It was a two-for-one plan, striking at both Auradon and Corona. Sweet revenge, theirs at last.

  


The other villains would be getting theirs at the same time, most likely. After all, it was the only thing anyone really thought ahout on the Isle. And really, why should they want anything else?

  


 "It's pressure in a small space, Vi," Varian had said once. "All these people with all their problems, with nothing to do but sit here and get more and more restless. Eventually, they're going to erupt, with a little help from you and I, and Auradon is definitely not ready for that." 

  


Of course, the pressure Via was facing on Auradon was, in her opinion, just as heavy as the pressure on the Isle of the Lost. But if she could only stand it for a little while, if she could only get her dad the information he needed, then it would be over. Soon enough he'd have that barrier-breaking invention done, and she'd be out of here. 

  


She could do it. She wasn't like the first four VKs. She wasn't going to turn traitor. She wasn't going to give up at the last minute. She was going to win. She had to.

  


Her father was counting on her.

  


Via took a deep breath, threw her shoulders back, and sauntered down the hall to breakfast.

  


* * *

  


It was sheer coincidence that, at the same moment that Via on Auradon was thinking about her father's barrier breaker, Varian himself, on the Isle, was hard at work on that very thing.

  


His blue eyes narrowed as he held a tiny plastic eyedropper up to the mouth of a beaker filled with an opaque, iridescent liquid. Frowning in concentration, he let one single dark-blue drop fall into the beaker.

  


For a moment there was no difference, and then the liquid in the beaker turned almost glassy. (At the same time it also turned a lovely shade of lilac, which reminded Varian uncomfortably of a certain princess's dress).

  


 "Progress," the alchemist muttered, and almost before the word was out of his mouth the liquid in the beaker exploded.

  


Varian cried out and ducked behind a table as the top half of the beaker went sailing across the room and shattered on the wall. The bottom half, instead of holding liquid, now held a miniscule amount of red dust that smelled suspiciously of smoke.

  


Coughing, Varian waved some puffs of blue smoke away with his hand. "Yeah, I don't think we want it to do that," he commented. "And I probably should have been wearing my goggles for that one. Via, could you hand me that vial of..."

  


He stopped. "No, you can't," he said to the daughter on the other side of the barrier. "You're not here."

  


Somehow, he always seemed to forget that. The house was so still without her. There was no Via in the kitchen these days, trying to come up with something that resembled an edible lunch. There was no Via sharing the lab with him, heating things up, boiling things down, mixing this with that, taking the notes he got too excited to write. There was no Via at the dinner table to tell him how terrible her classmates were, what new inventions she had thought of during the day, or what boy had matched her standards of "cuteish."

  


There was none of that. There was nothing at all. And yet Varian couldn't seem to remember that. He hadn't thought he'd mind the quiet quite so much, with her gone. 

  


This feeling, for him, wasn't new. He'd had it before, in that strange interim period before he'd met the woman who would be his wife, before Via had entered the picture. He'd had it as a young child, staring at the picture of his mother above the fireplace and wondering where she was.

  


And he'd had it on the dark, cold night of the blizzard, kneeling next to his father's amber coffin, his heart broken by the rejection from the princess with the golden hair.

  


He'd had it whispering "You promised, Rapunzel," through a voice that shook with sobs, with no one but the cold silver face of the moon to see him.

  


The feeling was lonely. And he hated it.

  


A thought blasted into his mind, a thought he hadn't had in almost twenty years of living on the Isle. Before he could stop it, that thought transformed itself into audible words that left his tongue before he asked them to.

  


 "I miss Dad," he said to the empty house.

  


 He had almost managed to forget about Quirin. Once Via became a factor in his life he was too busy _being_ Dad to think much about his own. But with her gone, and the house empty, the thought came unbidden.

  


He banished it. He stood up, turning off the flame under various bottles in assorted stages of distillation, and headed up the stairs. Taking a long black cloak from the hook by the front door, he put it on and stepped into the streets of the Isle.

  


_I need to get out. Clear my head a bit._

_  
_

He had absolutely no idea where he was going. He wandered through the dim, grungy streets, muttering insults at various evil minions that got in his path. (Though, recognizing him as a minor villain, they generally sneered and replied with worse ones).

  


He tried not to think too much about the fact that he was a prisoner here, in this mess of filth and grime. That was the one thing he didn't mind about the Isle; it was easier to ignore his confinement here than it had been in Corona's dungeon. And here, at least, there was no Captain of the Guard. Cassandra's father was not quick to forgive those who threatened his daughter.

  


But the Isle, while he could at least manage to live a normal life, was not much easier. He had numbered the days until Via returned, bringing with her the information he needed to break through the wall.

  


It wasn't for himself that he wanted to break it, although the thought of revenge was tantalizing. It was for Via. She didn't deserve the life she had here, and it was not the life he would let her live much longer. She would have everything he could give her, everything he himself had never had.

  


He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't see the tall, slim figure stepping out from an alleyway. In fact, he crashed right into the other person and nearly lost his balance, grabbing at a nearby wall to keep himself on his feet. The other, not so lucky, went sprawling on the ground.

  


 "Why don't you watch where you're going!" Varian growled, and then suddenly he stopped. 

  


At exactly the same time, in perfect unison, Varian and the person he had just run into both cried, "It's you!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Randomness! Things! Excitement! Science, angst and all the feels! Let's unpack this chapter, shall we?
> 
> First off, what is the deal with my updating schedule? Well, I don't actually have a schedule. Sometimes I write fast, and sometimes I write slow. Sometimes, like this week, I get a lot of amazing, encouraging comments, and they make me happy, so I just write more because I feel happy. It's that simple. So I'm not going to be real predictable on updates.
> 
> Second off, I would like to thank Chamiryokuroi for the wonderful idea for the Varian angst in this chapter. That idea was just beautifully tragic, and as you might have realized after reading this chapter, I ran with it.
> 
> Third off, uh, who did Varian just run into? We will find that out later. But if you have a guess who it is, let me know!
> 
> And fourth off, I've received some questions from people reading this story, asking if I intend to create fanart for it. Short answer to that is....um, no. I am not artistically inclined in the least. I literally cannot draw a stick figure. The closest I've come to artwork for this story is editing some pictures of actors to look like Varian, Via, and everyone else. And I will not be sharing those pictures, because they are very, very badly edited.
> 
> However, if there's anyone out there who, unlike me, knows which end of a pencil is which and feels like creating some fanart for this story, you have my full permission to do so. Let me know in the comments if you do, and also let me know if you post it anywhere because I would love to see it. Oh you people with artistic brains and hands that can actually draw. How I envy you.
> 
> Anyways, that's it for this chapter!


	7. Chapter Six: The Book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Via gets her first possible breakthrough, but it comes on the heels of an introduction to two potential enemies.

Breakfast was a thing out of a fairytale for Via. (As it was for everyone at Auradon Prep, but Via was pretty much the only one who wasn't used to it).

 

Via walked into the cafeteria, took one look around and immediately had to check to ensure that her jaw hadn't  _actually_ hit the floor.

 

_So. Much. Food._

 

Half of it didn't even look like anything Via recognized as a breakfast item. The other half didn't look like anything she recognized at all.

 

Various tables, platters and carts were scattered through the room, each with more completely foreign dishes on it than the last. She couldn't help but compare it to the measly Isle breakfasts she had been forced to scavenge for every morning. This, by comparison, could feed a literal army and then some. Via couldn't even process all the delicious aromas wafting around the room, much less imagine what the causes of them tasted like. She stared around the room in a daze, vaguely aware that her mouth was watering. She absolutely couldn't wait to dig into the smorgasbord.  _I want to taste everything. Where do I even start?_

 

She grabbed an impossibly thin white china plate with gold edging, and after a moment of reflection decided that, since she was in Auradon now, they might expect her to use a knife and fork. She picked them up (they were silver and polished to a nearly blinding sheen, of course) and wandered around the cafeteria, gazing wide-eyed at everything and wanting nothing more than to devour the whole of it just as quickly as she could. 

 

She glanced around the cafeteria as she tried to select what she wanted. The other kids, especially the Auradon-bred ones, were giving her some strange looks. She couldn't really fault them; she probably looked like an idiot. Even Celeste had things figured out better than Via did, picking delicately at a plate full of assorted possibly-French food items. 

 

Via carefully filled her own plate, taking a little of this and a little of that and quite a lot of everything that looked as if it might contain chocolate. She picked a table in the back of the room and sat down by herself. She had no desire to sit next to Celeste or Audrey, and Erika was already seated next to Twinkle Bell.

 

Via didn't mind. She didn't have to keep up an act when she was alone. She reached for a chocolate covered strawberry, closing her eyes in pleasure.  _Mmm. I can see why Mal likes these things._

 

She was about halfway through a steaming slice of coffee cake when she felt it. It was an instinct she'd developed growing up on the Isle, and it had never failed her yet.

 

_Someone's watching me._

 

She knew better than to turn around. She kept eating as if nothing was wrong, glancing sideways out of her peripheral vision.

 

Oh.  _Oh._

 

A girl was sitting at a table to the left of Via's, a table positioned so that it was almost- but not quite- out of Via's sight. She had long, straight dark hair and green eyes, and she wore a gray knit sweater with red and yellow accents. She'd already noticed Via watching her; her frigid, narrow-eyed stare testified to that. Via drew in a long breath. 

 

 "If looks could kill," she muttered, narrowing her own eyes right back. She'd just met Cassandra's daughter. And she sure as heck wasn't going to show any fear of her.

 

 "Caden!" 

 

 A sweet voice rang through the cafeteria, and another girl plopped down beside Cassandra's daughter. "I've been looking everywhere for you! I just decided that...whoa, _what?_ " 

 

Her eyes locked with Via's, and both pairs of eyeballs nearly popped out of their respective owners' heads.

 

Via found that she could suddenly hear nothing but her own heartbeat, and the sound of her father's voice from the morning when she had left the Isle.

 

  _"Shiny, glimmering golden things, holding all the power in the world..."_

 

 Green eyes. A scattering of freckles. A purple dress. Long, golden hair that shone like the sun embroidered on her bag.

Via knew exactly who this girl was. And this girl knew exactly who she was, too.

 

 "Okay, then," the other girl said, a little breathlessly. Caden patted her shoulder. 

 

 "Don't worry about her, Razelle. I'm watching her." She pitched her voice so that Via would be sure to overhear it.

 

 Razelle. Daughter of Rapunzel. Daughter of a lying backstabber who cared more about paints and brushes than she did her people. 

 

Via tightened her grip on the edge of her empty plate, watching her fingers shake across the golden edge. Gold. She hated gold. 

 

She gritted her teeth, determined not to let her feelings show.  _I'll get my chance. Later._

 

But she just couldn't hold it all back. There was one thing she had to show them- that she wasn't going down because of a few threatening words in a cafeteria.

 

Via reached into the small, black leather crossbody purse she'd worn that morning. The purse definitely wasn't empty; Via was, once again, her father's daughter.

 

She glanced out of the corner of her eye to make sure Caden and Razelle were still watching her, which, of course, they were.

Casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, Via dabbed at her mouth with her napkin, then pulled a tiny green vial and a little red ball out of her purse. She pulled out the vial's stopper, dropped a bit of the liquid onto her plate and added the red ball.

 

A small puff of red smoke rose up, along with a pleasing citrus scent. Around the cafeteria, students gasped. Via, on the other hand, stood nonchalantly and placed her now-spotless plate on a stack of freshly washed ones.  _Just like Dad used to do it._

 

She walked across the cafeteria as if nothing had happened, making sure her route led her straight past Caden and Razelle. Razelle frowned slightly, but seemed at least a little intimidated. Good.

 

Caden, on the other hand, propped one hand on her hip, mirroring her mother's  _you-just-made-an-enemy_ expression. Via flashed her signature smirk. Translation:  _I meant to make one._

 

Then she walked out of the cafeteria with her head held high, satisfied that her point had been made. Caden and Razelle didn't scare her one bit. She'd proved to them that she didn't care what they thought of her. She was more than happy to push Auradon's boundaries and show a bit of her true nature, even while she was acting another role. She wasn't afraid to be the Alchemist's Daughter.

 

_But someday you'll wish I wasn't._

 

* * *

 

Three and a half hours later, Via pillowed her head on one propped-up elbow and tried not to look as completely and utterly bored as she felt.  _Oh my gosh. I think I could teach the teacher. Dad taught me this stuff when I was what, six?_

 

Her first day in her first three classes was already over with. Right now she sat in Chemistry, wishing she could be anywhere else.

 

She had been right about those first three classes.

 

Remedial Goodness 101. Piece of cake. She'd lied her way through it without having to think.

 

Mathematics. Double piece of cake. All stuff she already knew.

 

Grammar. Pointless, but yet another piece of cake. Who  _cared_ about proper speaking as long as you could say what you mean?

 

This, though. This weak, watered-down, pathetic Auradon excuse for science. Varian would have marched right in and brought Via straight back to the Isle if he could have seen it.

 

Via had stopped taking notes a long time ago. She knew everything the teacher, Mr. Deley, a grey-haired man with puffy lips and hooded eyelids, was talking about. She drummed her fingers on her desk, all but counting the seconds until the bell rang and she could make her escape.

 

 "Young lady!" 

 

 Via jumped, glancing around wildly until she came face to face with Mr. Deley, who was staring down at her with a glare on his face.

 

 "Would you care," he said, his words clipped and sharp, "to join the rest of the class?"

 

 "I've been listening," Via said. "I know what you said."

 

 "Do you?" the man said, with a completely fake smile. "Perhaps you'd like to share that knowledge with the class?"

 

_Challenge accepted._

 

Via stood up and walked to the front of the classroom, where two beakers of different liquids sat.

 

 "Sure," she said, smirking. "You were comparing the substance in Container A to Container B, outlining what the chemical reaction would be if we were to combine the two together. Were we to do so, we would need to introduce a third element to counteract the acidity of the two substances when mixed together, and a buffer to keep the combination from becoming corrosive." With a deft hand, Via poured the contents of the two containers together and added a few drops from a few various vials. The liquid turned green and foamed up, almost bubbling over the top of the beaker.

 

One look at Mr. Deley's face, and Via knew he had absolutely no comprehension of what she had just done. _Take that, Auradon._

 

 "Thank...you," the teacher said slowly, trying to save face in front of his class.

 

 "No problem," Via said, walking back to her desk. Caden, sitting in the back of the room, was stone-faced. Via grinned, seeing it.

 

_Yep, you saw that right. My dad taught me everything he knows. What are you going to do about that, huh?_

 

Once Chemistry was over, Via made her way to Magical History. A brown leather textbook with golden binding sat on top of every desk. Via picked hers up, scribbled her name in the front, and paged through it.

 

_What is the point of this class? We can't use magic, we barely even talk about it, and it's all in the past now. Why should we go over the history of it?_

 

She glanced through the table of contents, frowning at the one that discussed the sundrop flower and the black rocks. Then she spotted something that made her gasp and do a double take. 

 

_Chapter Seventeen- The Isle Barrier and Other Modern Magic._

 

Via flipped quickly through the pages, trying to find the seventeenth chapter. She heard voices in the hall and slammed the book shut, trying to stop her hands from shaking.

 

_I've got to read it. I've got to. Whatever's in that book, Dad needs to hear it._

 

But there was no time now. Whatever she did, she couldn't let Razelle, or worse Caden, find out what she was up to. If Caden was anything like Cassandra, she'd piece things together in no time flat.

 

_I need to be careful. Take it one step at a time. I absolutely cannot wait to talk to Dad on Thursday. Maybe I can be out of here by next week._

 

No, that was unlikely. Even Varian, as crafty and clever as he was, needed time to work. But if Via could only get him the information, it would shorten the time. She could be out of Auradon soon. Very, very soon.

 

_The sooner the better, if you ask me._

 

She wiped her face of emotion. Her classmates were trickling in now. she couldn't afford to look conspicuous. Caden stalked into the room; Via didn't turn, though she heard as the other girl sat down behind her.

 

_Stalking me, are you?_

 

It didn't matter. Caden didn't have to believe her. She didn't have to buy Via's new behavior, she didn't have to let the past stay in the past. She didn't have to trust Via or believe she could change.

 

Because, after all, she would be right not to.

 

Via straightened in her chair and dutifully opened the first chapter of the Magical History book.

 

_Believe me, Caden, the one thing I can't wait to do is prove you right._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a ton to say on this one except I fell in love with the name Caden. Also, I am fully aware that Rapunzel's daughter is called Anxelin on the wiki. However, after watching School of Secrets, I can say that we never actually hear her addressed by that name. Plus Anxelin sounds nothing like Rapunzel, or anything I've ever heard, so yeah, no. As near as I can figure, somebody made up an OC named Anxelin and is now treating it like canon, which I hearby pledge never to do with Via because it's annoying. So yeah, Razelle this character shall remain.


	8. Chapter Seven: The (Evil) Plot Thickens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At long last, Via comes up with something she's been missing- an idea.

Via slammed the book shut, throwing it across the room, where it hit the wall and thudded down onto one of Audrey's fluffy pink pillows.

 

 "This is  _stupid!"_ she shouted. "Why can't they just give me what I want?" 

 

That oh-so-promising seventeenth chapter of the Magical History textbook had proven to be nothing more than a giant disappointment. It discussed the barrier, all right- everything Via already knew about it. When it came to what, exactly, made the bridge, the book hemmed and hawed and danced around the subject, saying nothing but the ever so helpful following:

 

  _"The Isle barrier was created with the use of Fairy Godmother's magic wand, but it is no pumpkin carriage that disappears at midnight. The barrier is a powerful and permanent structure. It and its counterpart, the bridge to the Isle of the Lost, are crafted from the most powerful magic elements in Auradon, the combination of which blocks all magic from entering the Isle..."_

 

And on it went, describing not the barrier's make-up, but its purpose, which Via was all too familiar with. Leaving her exactly where she started.

 

 "There's got to be something," she said aloud, even though Audrey was out with her friends and there was no one to hear Via's complaint. "Something I'm not seeing, something that I can report back to Dad. I am  _not_ talking to him on Thursday with nothing useful to tell. I'm not letting him down."

 

She walked across the room to retrieve the book, sitting down on her bed with it spread across her lap. She pulled a teal highlighter pen from her backpack and popped the cap off, tapping the bottom of the pen against her teeth as she silently read through the chapter again.  _There just has to be some clue here. There has to be._

 

She couldn't find anything except for that one vague, elusive passage, and after a moment of thought she highlighted it, staring at the words until they stopped being words and dissolved into meaningless individual letters.

 

What could have created the bridge? What "magic elements" had that kind of power? The only magical items Via was familiar with were the Sundrop (and by default, Rapunzel's hair) and the black rocks, none of which could have been used to craft something like the bridge. So it had to be something else, something Via had never had direct experience with.

 

She flipped back to the table of contents, looking back at the section labeled _Overview of Magic: Common Uses, Elements, and Misconceptions._

 

 "Common elements..." she mumbled, turning pages as if her life depended on it. "That's what I need."

 

She read through the list of magical items, ingredients, and other things, looking for something that seemed as if it could have had a hand in creating the bridge. Except for the wand, which she already knew was involved, nothing seemed likely.

 

She sighed.

 

"Maybe Mal and Uma had the right idea," she said to the empty room. "Maybe it was just the wand that created the barrier. And maybe it's just the wand that can open it."

 

But as Varian had already told her, they couldn't use the wand. It was too overdone, too guarded, too expected. The power of the wand had been usurped twice and almost succeeded both times. Auradon would not let such a thing happen again. So if the wand was really the only way to open the barrier, then Via and her father were well and truly stuck.

 

 "No, no, no, no!" Via said. "That can't be the only way! It just can't!"

 

She closed her eyes and exhaled, trying to calm herself down. Something Varian had often told her floated back into her mind. She could almost hear him saying it as she worked on perfecting a tricky formula in the lab, with him watching over her shoulder, sometimes even guiding her hands.

 

_"When you don't know something, Via, start with what you do know. Ask questions about it. Try to make a connection between what you do know and what you don't. More often than not, you'll find your answer."_

 

So what did Via know about the barrier? Next to nothing. It kept out magic, it kept them trapped in the Isle, and the wand had made it. That was the extent of Via's knowledge about it.

 

She turned back to the passage she had highlighted and gazed into space, trying to connect the pieces of her puzzle.

Suddenly something caught her eye. She reached for a black pen and underlined the words.

 

_"It and its counterpart, the bridge to the Isle of the Lost, are crafted from the most powerful magic elements in Auradon..."_

 

 It and its counterpart. "It" was the barrier, the thing Via didn't know. There was no way she could figure out anything about it; the information was too well-kept a secret. 

 

But that didn't mean she was stuck.

 

 "I've been looking in the wrong place!" Via gasped. "I've been so focused on the barrier that I forgot the other piece of the puzzle! It's not the barrier I need to worry about at all, not yet. I need to look at what I know instead of what I don't."

 

Via asked herself the question again, but this time it was different. What did she know, not about the barrier, but about everything connected with it.

 

On that fateful day when the kingdoms of Auradon were united and the villains were banished to the Isle of the Lost, Fairy Godmother and her wand had been busy. She had not only created the barrier; she had created something else too, something Via  _did_ havepersonal experience with. Something Via could experiment on, puzzle out, maybe even break through, all without leaving Auradon.

 

Her dad was right, as usual. The answers she needed could be found by looking at what she already knew, and using it to figure out what she didn't. She didn't know the barrier.

 

But she did know the bridge.

 

Via leapt up, almost knocking over her chair in her hurry. She righted it, barely catching her balance, and darted to her dresser. She pulled her beat-up notebook from the top drawer and fairly flew back to her bed, opening the notebook on top of the textbook.

 

It took a bit of page-flipping before she found an empty one; the notebook, a present from her father, was almost full of alchemical notes and experiments. But when she finally found a clean page, she lifted her pen and scribbled a single word along the top:

 

_BRIDGE_

 

Underneath the heading, she wrote down everything she knew about the bridge- adding a few choice remarks of her own.

 

_**1**_.  _ **It opens with that stupid black remote. (LAME).**_

 

_**2\. It disappears as the limo progresses down it. (How does it even know to do that?!?)** _

 

_**3\. It's made from that weird magic dust. The gold stuff. (Okay, why is every magical item made of gold? I hate that color).** _

 

**_4\. The wand made it. (How these people have gotten along so well without wands to fix all their problems for them, I have NO idea. They oughta live my life sometime)._ **

 

When she had finished she stared down at the notes, willing something to jump out at her, hoping her answer presented itself.

 

Which of these notes  _didn't_ have a bearing on her experiment? Well, Number Four. It didn't matter that the bridge had been made by the wand. Via couldn't use the wand.

 

Same with Number One. Knowing the bridge opened with a remote was useless information unless she actually had the remote, which she didn't. So those two couldn't help her much.

 

She read over Number Two. Yeah, that one could be helpful. If she could figure out how the bridge responded to the limo, she could figure out what made the bridge itself.

 

And Number Three was helpful too. The bridge was made of gold dust; now she just had to figure out what made the dust and how to create it herself.

 

Wait a minute. Dust. The bridge was made of dust. Meaning the bridge was made of something other than raw magical power. Meaning Via had an actual substance to work with.

 

 "Nothing comes from nothing," Via mused, throwing herself backwards on her bed and allowing her mind to figure things out in whatever convoluted way it wanted to.

 

Nothing came from nothing. Whatever the remote was, it wasn't crafting a bridge out of thin air. There was something in the air  _already,_ something that has come from the wand. All the remote was doing was connecting the particles, attaching them to each other, and then releasing the connections as it headed towards Auradon.

 

What if Varian could do the same, in his lab on the Isle? What if he could come up with some sort of serum to bind the particles together and  _keep_ them that way? What if he could make the bridge a permanent fixture?

 

Via went even further. They couldn't see the barrier, much like they couldn't see the bridge until it was formed. They'd been made on the same day; what if they'd been made of the same thing? Could Varian make the barrier solid somehow, and then break through its solid form? There was no way to get through it when it was an ethereal force field, but solid...

 

They could do it. Thanks to the black rocks and that stubbornly unbreakable amber, their lab was full to bursting with things that could break through other things. Things that could shatter, melt, freeze, or burn through other things without a problem. Things that would break through the barrier if it was only in solid form.

 

If Via could find out exactly what made the barrier, Varian could solidify it. And once that was done, it would break like anything else.

 

_Unless it's like the amber,_ that little voice in Via's mind whispered. She sighed, tapping her fingers against the bedspread.

 

Yes, there was that. If the barrier was like the amber, then they  _couldn't_ break through it. And they'd be trapped more securely than ever.  _Which is exactly the opposite of what we want to happen._

 

She could certainly present the theory to her father. He'd get to work on it even with those little flaws; he'd make the serum and perfect it until he knew it would, theoretically, work.

 

But to actually use it, to actually break the barrier and release the inhabitants of the Isle, that they couldn't do until they knew for sure. And there was no way that Varian, trapped on the Isle himself, could do any sort of test run.

 

But Via could. The task would fall to her, she realized. She had to make it work on a smaller scale. She had to come up with something that was enough like the bridge to make reasonably sure that their plan would work. She needed a subject.

 

But what?

 

A noise in the hallway brought her head up like a startled deer. She leapt off the bed, scrambling to hide all the signs of her guilty endeavor. Audrey and her friends had returned. Via could pick out their individual voices as they laughed at some sarcastic remark- Audrey's delicate, high-pitched little giggle; Erika's soft, reserved chuckle that she would undoubtedly be trying to hold in; Razelle's clear musical laugh and Caden's low, cynical one; even the jangling of bells that was Twinkle Bell's laughter. (In all other respects, Twinkle was a normal student, if you overlooked her wings. Laughing was the one time when she actually sounded like a fairy).

 

Wait.

 

A fairy. Twinkle Bell. 

 

Via gasped sharply as her mouth dropped open. The obstacle in her plans had just resolved itself. Maybe she couldn't work directly with the bridge.

 

But maybe she didn't have to.

 

In the few seconds before Audrey returned, Via allowed a truly evil smile to slide over her face.

 

She had just found her experiment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing really to say on this one except:
> 
> I LOVE THE SCIENCINESS!
> 
> and 
> 
> Our girl Via is up to absolutely no good. In case you were wondering.


	9. Chapter Eight: Faith, Trust, and...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Via's plan is getting fully underway, but will an unknown enemy complicate things?

Audrey stared into the mirror, carefully lining her lips with a rosy pink lipstick. Via, sitting on her bed, watched her with feigned interest.

 

 "You make it look so easy," she said, adding a wistful tone to her voice. "I wish I looked half as good as you did."

 

 "Everyone does," Audrey giggled. Then she glanced up at Via's reflection in the mirror.

 

 "Although," she said, "you couldcome a _little_ closer. For starters, lose the ponytail." Audrey rose from her chair, walked around behind Via, and pulled her hair tie loose with one smooth motion, sending thick black curls cascading down to the shorter girl's shoulders.

 

 "Mmm- _hmm,"_ Audrey said, nodding with satisfaction. "And this...what  _is_ this? Doesn't matter. It's got to go."She reached out and fingered the blue streak in Via's hair.

 

 Via slapped her hand over Audrey's. " _Don't,"_ she said, her voice dropping, low and dark. For a moment Audrey looked startled.

 

_Oops._

 

Via fumbled for words to cover her slip-up. "It's just...It reminds me of my father," she said lamely, twisting the pale blue strand of hair in her fingers.

 

Audrey, however, seemed more concerned with Via's rejection of her advice than her potentially villainous action. "Yeah?" she said, her voice sharp and cutting. "And what was he again? Some disgraced wizard who couldn't even save his own family? You want to remind yourself of him, you be my guest, but I know if I were you-" she leaned close, staring Via directly in the eyes as she finished. "I'd forget he ever existed."

 

Via drew in her breath, but Audrey didn't even give her a chance to reply. She spun on her heel and walked away, pausing in the doorway to throw one last remark over her shoulder.

 

 "We're going shopping," she said. "Me, Erika, Twinkle. Thought you might want to come, since Caden and Razelle are taking an art class today. Wouldn't want you to have any unfortunate run-ins with those two. And you could update that...Isle look."

And with that she was gone, slamming the door behind her and leaving Via shell-shocked in the middle of the room.

 

_What. Just. Happened?_

 

Audrey's words hadn't sounded like they belonged in Auradon. They were sharp words, cutting words, cruel words. They were words from the Isle. And Via had forgotten how angry those kind of words could make her.

 

 Perfect things never were. Varian had said that on multiple occasions. Now that Via was here in the "perfect kingdom," she could attest to the truth of the statement.

 

She walked over to her dresser and fished her black leather wallet out of her sock drawer. The promised allowance from Fairy Godmother had been more than she expected, but she hadn't even touched it. She'd been too busy keeping up her act and working on her plan to worry about everyday things like clothes and makeup. On the one hand, it would seem more normal if she went along on the shopping trip. On the other, the last thing she wanted to do right now was spend any time with Audrey. 

 

Although, Caden and Razelle wouldn't be there; she wouldn't have to put up with their scrutiny. And Audrey  _had_ said that Twinkle Bell would be there. If there was a chance Via could put the next phase of her plan into action...

 

That settled it. Via stuffed her wallet into her back pocket and peered into Audrey's vanity mirror, pulling her hair back into its regular ponytail. She pulled the blue streak loose, letting it hang down across her cheek.  _Forget where I come from? Not a chance._

 

She slung her black velvet purse across one shoulder, grabbing a few random vials of alchemical serums, just in case. Then she walked out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

 

 "Audrey!" she called. "Is it okay if I tag along?"

 

* * *

 

The one thing Via could say after only a few hours out in Auradon was that life definitely wasn't fair. There was more to the kingdom than she ever could have imagined; every last one of its citizens seemed to live in what, to Via, was absolute luxury. The townhomes and cottages were in perfect condition, the cars and the odd carriage or two were freshly polished and shining. The faint scent of flowers hung in the breeze, the streets were wide and sunny, and anything anyone could ever want to purchase was tantalizingly displayed in the windows of quaint, cheery little shops. Anyone else would have enjoyed it immensely.

 

But not Via. She trailed behind Audrey, Erika, and Twinkle, trying to pretend that she was engrossed in the conversation, which consisted mostly of giggles and gossip. She stared around her at the sheer beauty of Auradon, and she found herself thoroughly disgusted with it.

 

She kept thinking about the Isle. She had grown up in the exact opposite of this gorgeous kingdom. She'd had to fend for herself, to struggle to get by, to become a different person than she might have been if she'd only grown up here in Auradon. It wasn't fair. It wasn't, and while she wouldn't trade anything to be an AK, it still irritated her that the world was divided so clearly into black and white. Not everything was that simple.

 

Via tried to enjoy the day as best she could. She let Audrey drag her from shop to shop and tried to comment on every suggestion Aurora's daughter made. She even bought a few things to help her blend in better: a light teal shirt with long bell sleeves, made of a loose flowy fabric, and loose black pants. Audrey congratulated her on the purchases- if it could be counted as congratulations.

 

 "Finally," she said. "I'm not quite so embarrassed to have you for a roommate now."

 

_Maybe not, but I'm sure ticked off to have you as mine. Didn't Mommy ever teach you manners? You're a long way from being charming, sweetheart._

 

For the most part, though, the afternoon dragged. Via went from feeling annoyed, to feeling like an outsider, to wishing she was anywhere else but here.

 

It wasn't until three o'clock that something finally happened to brighten her spirits.

 

Audrey was leading them towards yet another dress shop, jabbering all the way. "You've got to see what their seamstress can do. She's a miracle worker. I  _always_ find something that looks good here- although what wouldn't look good on me? I promise, they're almost as talented as Cinderella's mice!"

 

Suddenly Twinkle Bell interrupted, pointing at a small shop they were passing. "Hey, Audrey? Is it okay if I take a quick peek into Swords and More? I need a new dagger."

 

 "Do you really have to?" Audrey said. "We're almost to the dress shop, and I can't wait to show you and Erika what they can do with silver crystals."

 

 Via saw her chance, and leapt to take it.

 

 "You go ahead with Erika, Audrey," she said. "I've seen all the dresses I can take for one day. Twinkle and I can look at swords and we'll meet up in front after."

 

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever." She flounced off down the sidewalk, Erika following behind her.

 

Twinkle shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, she'll come around by the time they're done looking at rhinestones and ribbons and all that kind of thing. I want to get a Neverlandian dagger, like the one Peter Pan carries." Seeing Via's blank expression, she amended her sentence. "Which of course means nothing to you. Sorry. It's a small, curved dagger. I need one that shrinks with me when I go into fairy mode."

 

 "You can do that?" 

 

 Twinkle replied with a melodic giggle. "Sure I can! Whenever I want! Sometimes it happens when I'm surprised by something. That usually causes a pixie dust explosion."

 

_Just what I wanted to hear._  Via nodded, following Twinkle to the door of the sword shop. The fairy paused with her hand on the doorknob. 

 

 "So what are you getting?"

 

 "Oh..." Via said, fumbling for an answer, "I'm just looking around to see if there's anything I like. I don't have much experience in the sword department."

 

 "Got it," Twinkle said, winking and sweeping the door open. Via surreptitiously performed an eye roll of her own.  _You know, she may be sweet but I, personally, have never spoken to anyone more annoying in my entire life. Sheesh._

 

But once they got inside the sword store, Twinkle was all business, asking the shopkeeper where she could find a Neverlandian dagger. He pointed them towards the back of the shop, and Via had to hide a grin.  _This could not be more perfect if I had planned it myself._

 

She had to time things just right. Luckily, she was a scientist and had plenty of experience doing that.

 

It didn't take Twinkle long to find the Neverlandian department. She scanned rows of daggers and knives that all looked the same to Via, muttering to herself. "But I need one that shrinks with me..."

 

As she moved slowly down the aisle, Via gradually let her take the lead, examining a pretty silver blade as if she was considering buying it.

 

She waited until Twinkle picked up a dagger and scrutinized it carefully before she made her move. She stumbled forward, as if she'd tripped on something, and crashed headlong into the startled fairy. 

 

Golden dust exploded into the air. The dagger slipped to the ground from hands suddenly too small to hold it. Twinkle had suddenly shrunk in size to only four inches high, and for a moment Via was startled.  _Okay, yeah, science does not explain that._

 

Just as suddenly as she had transformed, Twinkle turned back into a human girl, sitting up slowly, a little dazed. Via rushed forward to help her up.

 

 "I am so sorry," she said. "Just tripped over my own two feet, I guess. I can be a bit of a klutz. Are you all right?"

 

 "Oh, I'm fine," Twinkle laughed. "You just caught me off guard, that's all. But hey, now we know that that dagger isn't going to shrink. That's progress, right? I'm gonna see if I can find something to clean this up."

 

"Don't bother," Via said. "It was my fault. I'll take care of it. Hey, isn't that a sign for shrinking daggers three aisles over?"

 

 She pointed, and Twinkle darted off, waving over her shoulder. "Thanks!"

 

Via allowed herself a truly villainous smile. "No," she murmured under her breath, "thank _you_."

 

She opened her purse and took out an empty glass sphere. Pulling the stopper loose, she carefully collected every last bit of the golden dust into a small pile, and brushed it into the sphere. Twinkle had been right about an "explosion;" there was enough dust to fill almost the whole container. And thanks to Auradon and its impeccably clean floors, it was a perfect sample. She replaced the stopper and slid it back into her bag.

 

She had her test material. 

 

 "Twinkle!" she called, getting to her feet. "Did you find that dagger yet?"

 

* * *

 

It was officially after hours in Auradon Prep. Most of the lights were off; the students and faculty who weren't in bed were either working late or socializing in the lounges. In the room that Audrey and Via shared, both beds were occupied.

One by a princess in lavish pink pajamas and a sleep mask, and the other by a folded-up pillow.  As for Via, she was anywhere but in bed. 

 

The chemistry lab was dark, its rows of tables deserted, its door closed.

 

But the room was not empty. A small vial of yellow-green liquid lit one of the back tables. Behind the table stood a petite girl in teal and black, with a blue streak in her hair and her father's goggles shoved up across her black curls. Beside her on the table rested six or seven dark vials and a glass container of pixie dust. The Alchemist's Daughter was living up to her father's legacy.

 

She didn't see the shadow that knelt beside the door and peered in at the keyhole. She didn't see the shadow stand up some time later and walk away, a triumphant smile on its face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun.


	10. Chapter Nine: A Coded Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Via's long-awaited talk with her father doesn't quite go as planned. And on the Isle of the Lost, someone's watching.

The next day was a Thursday, and Via was up bright and early. Then again, she hadn't slept for very long anyway; she'd spent most of the night in the chemistry lab, working on the pixie dust.

 

So far it refused to do what she wanted. She couldn't get it to change form, to harden, let alone to shatter. But just the fact that she had something to experiment on was progress enough for her. And it was something she could report later this afternoon.

 

_When I finally get to talk to Dad._

 

She could barely contain her excitement. She hadn't realized how much she'd miss Varian. She'd been all but counting the minutes until the two of them got a chance to talk. 

 

The only thing that bothered her was how she could reveal her discovery. She couldn't very well say, "Hey Dad! I stole a vial of pixie dust, and I think if you can get it to crystallize you can use it to destroy the barrier and bust out the villains, what do you think?" Not in front of Fairy Godmother. 

 

 "Oh well," she said, yanking the brush through her curls. "I'll figure it out when I get there."

 

 Much to Audrey's chagrin, Via had refused to don her new clothes this morning, and had put her hair back into her usual ponytail.

 

 "You," Audrey had wailed theatrically, "are absolutely  _hopeless!_ What are my friends going to think?"

 

 Via could have cared less. She was on cloud nine all through the morning classes, only settling down a bit when she walked into chemistry. She glanced around to make sure she hadn't left any signs of her little midnight endeavors. Thankfully, she hadn't.

 

Others seemed to notice Via's unnaturally bright mood. Fairy Godmother gave her a half-patronizing smile that seemed to say, "At last, she's learning!" Erika nodded at her during lunch, and Twinkle paused to wave as Via walked by her in the lunch line. Razelle's face was the picture of befuddled; Caden's was a thundercloud. Via purposefully gave Caden her sweetest grin as she passed her, just for the pleasure of knowing that the other girl would spend the next hour trying to figure out what had made Via so happy. 

 

The class periods couldn't pass quickly enough for her, and she spent them drumming her fingers on her desk and watching the clock. Finally, when the last bell rang, she leapt out of her seat and almost flew down the hallway to the third electives classroom, where Fairy Godmother was straightening up from the mock sea battle that had taken place during History of Pirates and Woodsmen.

 

 "Via!" she chirped, as Via darted into the room and stopped just in time to avoid crashing into a desk. "My goodness, slow down, you'll hurt yourself! What can I do for you?"

 

 "It's Thursday," Via said breathlessly. "You said we get to talk to our parents on Thursdays."

 

 "Oh, yes, that's all been arranged," Fairy Godmother said. Her hands fluttered again; Via had already noticed they did that whenever she was concerned. "But don't feel like you have to," Fairy Godmother continued. "Your parents can't reach you here. You have the option not to speak with them, if you don't want to. You can make a fresh start."

 

 "What?" Via cried. "That's crazy! Why on earth wouldn't I want to talk to my father?"

 

 A look that could only be described as  _oh, the poor dear_ came over Fairy Godmother's face, and she patted Via's hand.

 

 "Now, there's no need to pretend, sweetheart," she said. "I know you children don't often have...that is...well, I know how the citizens of the Isle are, and how...difficult...it can be for their children. I don't want you to feel as if you  _must_ talk to your father, if you'd rather not. There's a whole new life for you here, and there's no need to try to make your old one fit into it."

 

 "That's absolutely fantastic," Via said, meaning just the opposite, "but I don't want a life without my dad. Period. End of discussion. Do you think I could talk to him now, please?" Her tone was sharp, and she knew she was bordering on villainous, but she didn't care. The sheer shock of Fairy Godmother's suggestion and what it implied had given her some extra nerve.

 

 Fairy Godmother smiled and patted her hand again. "Of course, dear. I'll just be in the corner, grading papers."

 

She ushered Via to a computer sitting on a desk in the front of the room and showed her how to work it. The screen turned grey and spotty for a minute, and then snapped into focus. Fairy Godmother patted Via's shoulder- Via was getting tired of her doing that- and walked to the back of the room.

 

The screen showed Via's favorite room in the house- the lab, with all its fizzing potions and concotions, each one holding the promise of freedom from the Isle of the Lost. Varian looked up from the page of notes he was scribbling on, giving his daughter the same sly smile she remembered so well. "Hey, Via," he said. "How's my girl?"

 

 "I'm good," Via said, all too conscious of Fairy Godmother's presence. "I'm making friends- I think. My roommate's a piece of work. Aurora's daughter."

 

 "The girl who seemed to think the earth spun on her little finger?"

 

 "That's the one."

 

 "Yikes. You're liking your classes, though?"

 

 "They're pretty good, except for chemistry. The teacher knows absolutely nothing. He pretty much lets me do whatever I want in the back of the room while he waters it down for everyone else."

 

Varian smirked. Via couldn't hold back a smile of her own. It all seemed so...normal. And normal was something she hadn't felt in a very, very long time.

 

Suddenly she realized her opportunity.

 

 "In fact," she said carefully, trying to word things just right, "I've started a new science project of my own. You know, the one we were talking about before I left. They've got all kinds of stuff here that we never had on the Isle, and I think I've found the perfect thing to work with." She paused. Varian nodded, just once, a barely perceptible motion, and Via grinned.  _He got it._

 

"So," Varian said, casually, nonchalantly, "what's your plan? What are you trying to do?"

 

 "I'm trying to make a...I guess you'd call it a vapor? Anyway, I'm trying to make it hard. Solidify it, so it's a solid surface. But-" Via widened her eyes, signalling that her next words were important. 

 

 "No matter what I do," she said, "it just keeps  _breaking._ It  _shatters,_ like glass."

 

 Varian's head snapped up, his mouth moving wordlessly as he processed what his daughter was telling him.

 

 "Via," he said softly, "Via, that's brilliant."

 

 "Well, I haven't gotten it to harden exactly right yet," Via said, hoping Varian understood that she needed more time to work. "I'm just working with a test material right now. But when I can get that to harden, I can work on...something more important."

 

Her father nodded. "OK. OK, that makes sense. Actually, I might have a few ideas on what you can use. Work at it every chance you get this week, all right, and I'll do some digging and see what I can find. How is everything else going? Are you fitting in?"

 

 That was another code sentence, Via realized. He was asking if anyone suspected her, if she'd been able to pull off her act. Via grinned.

 

 "Oh, I'm fitting in fine," she said. "Audrey's not so bad, once you get to now her, and she's got this plan to help me fit in. I met Queen Elsa's daughter, too, and a fairy. But-" she paused, wondering how much to tell. "Not everyone seems to like me," she confessed. 

 

Varian raised an eyebrow. "Who's the exception?"

 

 Via drew in a deep breath. "Actually, she's not a student," she said. "Well, her daughter is, and she doesn't like me either, but her mom- that's the one who really doesn't like me- she's the head of security for the school, apparently."

 

 "I think I caught most of that," Varian said. "Who are we talking about, Vi?"

 

 "Cassandra?" Via replied. She hadn't meant it as a question, but it came out as one. Varian almost fell out of his chair.

 

 " _What?"_ he cried.

 

 "Yeah," Via said, shrugging her shoulders. "Her daughter's name is Caden. And she hangs out with Rapunzel's daughter."

 

 "Is  _Rapunzel_ there too?" Varian asked, his voice dipping low and dangerous on the princess's name. Via shook her head.

 

 "OK," Varian said, sounding somewhat relieved. "Now I want you to listen to me, Via. I know what they're going to teach you over there, about kindness and love and all that. I can't say it's all bad; it's better than what you'll learn over here. But Via, I want you to hear this from me: no matter how many times they tell you that you can kiss and make up with anyone and everyone, I don't want you trying to mend fences with Cassandra. It. Won't. Work. There's just too much bad blood between us and I don't want you getting hurt."

 

Via could have sworn she heard him murmur, "Like I was," under his breath.

 

 "It's OK, Dad," she said. "I'm not going to do anything I shouldn't-"  _that one was a lie-_ "but I'm not going to be her best buddy either. I'm smarter than that."

 

Varian sighed. "I know you are," he said. "But I worry."

 

 "Don't," Via replied. "Really, Dad. I got this."

 

 There was so much more in those three words than there seemed to be, and they both knew it. So much rested on Via's shoulders. For the first time she realized how helpless her dad must feel, trapped on the Isle with no other choice but to trust their only chance to his daughter.

 

_I'll do it,_ she vowed silently.  _I'll make him proud._

 

The two exchanged small talk for a little while, but there was really nothing else to say, and all too soon Via glanced up at the clock. "I should probably go," she said regretfully. 

 

 "All right, Vi," Varian said. "I'll talk to you next week. And keep working. Please."

 

 "I will," Via said. "It won't be long." She turned the computer off, watching as it faded to black for another week. She sighed, standing up and turning to leave.

 

Fairy Godmother was watching her, her pencil paused in midair and an odd look on her face. Via's heart leapt into her throat.  _Does she know? Does she suspect me?_

 

 "What?" she asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice. Fairy Godmother shook her head.

 

 "Nothing, dear. I just...that was very...unusual. It's not often someone of your...er, background...has such a close relationship with their parents. I've never seen that before, not on the Isle."

 

_Maybe we didn't belong there._  The thought blasted through Via's mind. But aloud she only said, "Yeah."

 

 "Take Lady Mal, for example," Fairy Godmother continued. "I couldn't imagine. The poor girl. Her relationship with her mother- well, it made it far easier to change her loyalties to good. You and your father, though... it's different. Very different. It's nice to see."

 

She might have said it was nice, but by the look on her face and the way she bit her lip, Via guessed the truth. 

 

For some reason, Varian's closeness to her was a problem for Auradon.

 

_But why?_

 

* * *

 

Varian settled back in his chair with a long sigh.

 

 "How is she?" a voice said from the doorway. Varian looked up at the tall figure. 

 

 "She's struggling," he said. "It's hard on her. If I could do it myself..."

 

 "You can't," the voice replied. "She's a tough girl. She'll manage it."

 

 "She already is," Varian said. "I think she figured out what we've got to do. And it's brilliant."

 

 "Did you tell her about me?"

 

 "Not yet. I didn't want to have to explain things in front of that fat fairy. I will tell her though."

 

 "Mm," the voice said. "Better make it quick. The more allies she knows she's got, the better."

 

 Varian nodded, standing up. "For now," he said, "we'd best get back to work."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So who in the world is Varian talking to? Give me your best guess in the comments! (Also, please comment what you thought in general, comments absolutely make my day).


	11. Chapter Ten: A Breakthrough, Literally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Via embraces her role as the villain of the story, but when a very important individual takes an interest in her activities, she finds herself scrambling to keep her secrets. Meanwhile, on the Isle, Varian and his partner in crime are most definitely up to no good. And this time, it just might work.

For most students at Auradon Prep during Via's second week there, everything was normal. Mal and Ben were sweet and sappy. Evie stitched unforgettable dresses, Jay completely dominated every sport there was, and Carlos hung out with Dude. Audrey and her friends went shopping, gossiped, and talked about boys. Celeste read more books. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

 

But for three students in particular, things weren't quite that simple.

 

The first of those three students was Razelle. Like her mother, she tended to believe the best about people. She was an optimist and a social butterfly who, until Via came along, hadn't met anyone who didn't like her. And while she knew exactly _why_ Via disliked her, it didn't make the prospect of having an enemy any easier.

 

Razelle tried her best, through slight smiles and friendly waves, to let the alchemist's daughter know that while they might not be friends, at least they could let bygones be bygones. But as far as Via was concerned, they weren't. And so Razelle's cordial gestures were met only with a cold, narrowed stare. Or worse, the indefinable look of  _I know something you don't._

 

Eventually, Razelle stopped trying to befriend Via and began avoiding her.  There was no question that Via made her nervous; she had already repainted her entire dorm room twice, mostly while explaining all her worries to Caden.

 

Caden, incidentally, was the second student for whom things were far from normal. Via didn't make Caden nervous. Via made her angry _,_ andshe plainly showed it. The rule about girls on the fencing team had long since been amended after Lonnie became captain; Caden had joined it at the first opportunity. During Via's second week at Auradon, Caden spent most of her time practicing her swordwork, often with Cassandra to coach her. Neither mother nor daughter would say just what it was they were preparing for, but then again, it wasn't too difficult to put the pieces together. For Cassandra and her daughter, Via was a threat.

 

The third student for whom things were out of the ordinary was Via herself. But unlike Caden and Razelle, Via wasn't worried about a thing. No, during her second week at Auradon Prep, Via was in her element.

 

Her days had settled into a pattern of one thrill after another. She lived to torment the well-intentioned Razelle by brushing aside her friendly gestures. She laughed to herself when she caught sight of Caden or Cassandra training, secretly exulting in the fact that she was a bigger threat than swords could ever stop. She smirked when it was time for classes, embracing the challenge of lying through another day. She played innocent when it came to Audrey, inwardly scorning the shallow life the pampered princess led.

 

And late at night, with sleep forgotten, she bent over her vials and her beakers and she threw herself into her schemes. Though no one knew it yet, Varian's work had become Via's. Via had become a villain. And she loved every second of it.

 

She was making progress, slow progress but progress all the same, on the pixie dust. Though most liquids had little to no effect, she  _had_ succeeded in creating one that formed a thick jelly-like paste around a sample of the golden dust flecks. The paste was flexible, almost like the delicate squares of gelatin served in the cafeteria. But it wouldn't shatter, and it proved impossible to cut through. If Via had used that particular serum on the magic barrier, it would have accomplished nothing except to change their invisible cage to a solid, impenetrable one. But it was still progress. She had at least coaxed a magic element to do  _something,_ without having to use more magic to make it happen. Sooner or later she would find the answer.

 

She thought often about her father. What had he meant when he said he might know something she could use? There was only garbage on the Isle, and while it might work to cobble together a few less important serums and inventions, Via and Varian had no access to anything capable of shattering the barrier. But she had recognized the look in Varian's eyes. It was the look of an idea taking form, and while Via had absolutely no idea what that idea could be, she anticipated finding out on Thursday.

 

She had noticed one thing, however, that struck her as odd, and that one thing was Lady Mal. While normally too caught up in her whirlwind romance with King Ben to engage with much of the real world, Mal was still a student at Auradon Prep. And lately she seemed to be taking quite an interest in Via. She watched her surreptitiously during classes and meals, and she sometimes seemed to be trying to place Via in her head, to come up with an evil parent to match to her.

 

_It's no good, Your Ladyship,_ Via often thought spitefully when she noticed Mal doing this.  _I'm not important enough for the likes of you to bother with._

 

And indeed, Mal never seemed to give her more than a few minutes' thought. Eventually Via stopped worrying. If Mal had seen through her and her good-girl act, she would have said something already, either to Via herself or to her boyfriend. Soon Via barely thought about Mal at all.

 

Which was why she was so surprised, sitting alone at a back table eating lunch on Tuesday afternoon, when a pair of purple high-heeled boots marched their way over to her. She was even more surprised when the owner of those boots sat down in the chair across from her. Via stared at Mal with a ham sandwich en route to her mouth, trying not to show her surprise and panic.  _What does she want? Does she know what I'm up to?_

 

 "Hey there," Mal said, propping her elbows nonchalantly on the table and leaning forward to look Via directly in the eyes. "We need to talk."

 

* * *

 

 "I don't know about this."

 

 Varian went down on one knee in front of one of the lab tables, staring through the glass of a beaker at the liquid inside. "I mean, I swore I'd never use anything like this again, and I sure don't want Via messing with it! What if something happens? What if this is too strong? I know it can do what we want it to, but-" he sighed- "what if it does too much?"

 

 "So water it down!" the tall figure leaning against the wall advised. "Just dilute it a little and see what happens. It's not like we've really got anything else to work with."

 

 "You're right," Varian admitted. "I'll add some water to it, then, I guess. But be ready to run in case water makes it...do something."

 

 "It's that volatile?"

 

 "It's worse." Varian carefully poured the liquid into a larger container. Gingerly, he picked up a beaker full of water and dumped it into the liquid, waiting for the reaction.

 

Nothing happened.

 

 "Congratulations," Varian's partner in crime laughed. "You turned it a lighter color."

 

 "Well, at least we're getting somewhere," Varian retorted. "I'll keep going until I'm satisfied that it's safe for Via to be working with."

 

The other party said nothing, just watched for the next five or six minutes as Varian set to work diluting the serum, adding water, pouring out liquid, and feverishly trying to meet some standard of safety set in his mind. "I don't want this to happen again," he muttered to himself. "Not to my daughter. Not again."

 

Finally Varian stopped, gazing in dismay at the product of his efforts. What had begun as a beaker full of liquid was now three and a half watered-down gallons of it.

 

 "This is hopeless," Varian groaned. "We're going to have to find something else. I don't want Via messing around with this. Not until I know she'll be safe using it. I almost died the last time I tried it. I would have if..." He broke off, shaking his head and letting the rest of the sentence fade away.

 

 "Wait a minute," the other person pointed out. "That last one isn't glowing."

 

 "What?" Varian leaned close to the last, and most watered-down, beaker of liquid. "You're right," he gasped. "It isn't. Maybe that means... How much water did I add to this one?"

 

 "I think three or four cups," the other person replied. "It's a pretty weak solution by now."

 

 "Believe me, in this case, that's a good thing," Varian said. He brushed his dark hair out of his face, his fingers lingering for a moment on the one streak of blue. He drew in a deep breath.

 

 "Okay," he said, his voice slightly shaky. "That's progress, at least. And now for the moment of truth. We've got to test it."

 

 "Do you want me to do it?" the other person asked.

 

 "Are you insane? Do you know what's going to happen if I've misjudged this thing?"

 

 "I know. But you're the one Via's close to. She has no idea about me. If she's only going to have one of us on her side, it ought to be you."

 

 "Absolutely not." Varian's voice took on a new note of determination as he thrust a dropper into the liquid. "Sorry, but I'm not letting history repeat itself. If something happens this time, it's going to happen to me." 

 

The other person seemed to accept the statement. "So what are you planning to test it on? Unlike Via, you don't have a magical test subject."

 

 "I don't need one. This by itself is not going to break the barrier. It's Via's job to figure out what will. This is just a starting point. All I'm testing is whether it's safe for her to be using it." Varian ripped a blank page from the notebook on the table. Slowly, carefully, he let one single drop of the serum fall onto the paper.

 

There was a moment of silence, and then a harsh cracking sound. Varian winced. "That's not good," he whispered, staring intently at the page as if it might come alive. 

 

But it didn't. The cracking sound died away, and nothing else happened. 

 

 "Well, we're not dead," the other person observed nonchalantly. "Why don't you see what that thing did? You know, since it didn't kill anyone this time."

 

Gingerly, Varian lifted the piece of paper and held it up by one corner. "Well, what do you know," he said softly.

 

 Most of the page looked normal. But the center, the place where the drop of liquid had fallen, had become crystallized in a pale yellow substance so thin it was transparent.

 

Varian lifted one finger and set it against the crystallized area, slowly pressing down on it. The crystal cracked, then gave way completely, falling to the ground in small, sharp shards, leaving a round hole in the center of the page.

 

 "It shatters like glass," Varian said, a triumphant smile beginning to form on his face. "Just what Via needs. If she can figure out how to make the same thing happen to a magical barrier..."  

 

 "We could be out of here in no time," the other person finished. Varian nodded.

 

 "Exactly. We wouldn't even need another serum to break it; if the crystal were this thin, somebody could just step right through."

 

 "Into thin air," the other person reminded him. "Remember, we still don't have the bridge piece figured out yet. And we definitely can't use crystal thin enough to step through, unless every villain here feels like taking a swim."

 

 "I forgot about that," Varian conceded. "Still, this is a breakthrough. I don't know why I didn't think of using this before."

 

 "Uh, because you were terrified of it," the other person pointed out. "I'd imagine you're over that now."

 

 Varian shrugged, tilting the dropper back and forth, watching as the light sparkled on the golden liquid. "Well, you know what they say," he said. "Nothing comes easy."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes, Via is definitely slipping to the dark side. As for what Mal is after, we'll find out!
> 
> As far as what Varian is working on, most of you have probably figured that out by now...*nervous laughter*
> 
> Also, ham sandwiches made a cameo in this chapter, so yay for that.
> 
> And I would also like to celebrate the fact that this story has 50 comments on it, which is more than any of my other stories ever have. This chapter marks our halfway point, so THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR STICKING WITH ME!!!!


	12. Chapter Eleven: Suspicious Minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Via finds herself face to face with Mal, the traitor of the Isle. Things in Auradon aren't always as perfect and pretty as they seem to be, and Via's finding that out firsthand.

"You're Via, from the Isle, right?" Mal asked. Via nodded her head, unsure what was going on here.

 

Mal laughed a little. "Okay," she said. "This might sound a little weird, coming from me, but, well, I've been trying to figure you out for a while now and I just can't do it." 

 

_Figure me out?_ Via opened her mouth to ask what Mal meant, but the dark fairy held up a hand. "Hear me out, okay?" she said. "I know there were a lot of kids on the Isle that I treated like absolutely nothing. And now that I'm the king's girlfriend  _and_ a VK, I'm trying to get to know all the Isle kids at least a little bit, you know, to make up for how I used to be. To show how much people can change."

 

 "That's...great," Via said slowly, now thoroughly confused.  _What do I have to do with this? Why are you talking to me?_

 

 "I'd never seen you before your first day," Mal continued. "So I figured you must be one of the kids I never talked to. And I want to fix that. But, I can't really place you. I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but...who are your parents?"

 

Ah. Now Via understood. And more than that, she recognized an excellent opportunity to add Mal to the list of people she'd fooled.

 

 "I only know half the answer to that," she laughed. "I don't even know my mother's name. She left when I was little. My dad said she was always a wanderer."

 

 "Your dad?" Mal asked.

 

 "Yeah." Via shrugged her shoulders. "You probably don't know him. He wasn't really what you'd call an A-list villain."  _At least not yet._  "His name is Varian."

 

 "Ah-ha." Mal snapped her fingers. "Varian of Corona. Yeah, I remember reading something about him in history class. I didn't realize you were his daughter, though. I thought he was too young for that."

 

 "Twenty years is a long time," Via pointed out, and Mal nodded. 

 

 "True. Your mom, though...you don't know her? You don't even have a clue who she is?"

 

 "I have a picture," Via said. "An old one. And Dad used to say I have her face. That's all I've got."

 

 "Is she on the Isle?"

 

Something in  _that_ question rang alarm bells in Via's mind. These questions weren't just "getting to know you." Mal was driving at something.

 

 "Probably." Via's eyes narrowed. "Why are you asking me this? I mean, if you really wanted to get to know me you could ask what my hobbies are, my favorite color, if I like chocolate, stuff like that. Why are you so interested in my parents?"

 

For a moment Mal looked startled, almost guilty, as if she hadn't expected Via to catch on. Then her face relaxed, and she let out a laugh.

 

 "Okay, okay," she said, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "I'll just say it. I  _do_ want to get to know the rest of the VKs. And Fairy Godmother suggested that I talk to you first. She's worried about you."

 

 "Worried?"

 

 "Yeah. About you and your dad. She said things looked really weird between you, like there was something you were trying not to say. And she said your dad wasn't acting like a typical...uh, Isle citizen...at all. It looked like he was trying to get something out of you, asking all those questions about how you're doing and stuff like that. Villains don't usually care that much about their kids. I know my mom didn't." Mal reached out to take Via's hand.

 

 "Look," she said. "I know how hard it can be to accept what our parents really are. But the fact is, they had their chances. They don't get a second one. But some of them won't accept that, and they'll do whatever it takes to escape the Isle. Even..." Mal looked straight into Via's eyes as she said it- "use their kids. If your dad's pretending to care about you, to get you to do something..."

 

 "Like steal a magic wand?" Via snapped, and a startled look flashed across Mal's eyes. But she didn't back down.

 

 "Yeah," she said. "Like that. Look, Via, my mom tried the same trick your dad's playing. Promising me the world if I'd just do her one small favor. It never works out that way. You can never do enough to make them proud of you. Via, if your dad's up to something, if he's using you, you need to tell me, and I'll tell Fairy Godmother, and we'll get it taken care of. You don't have to be afraid of him here. He can't hurt you."

 

  _He would never hurt me._   _He'd move heaven and earth for me if he had to. He loves me. Why can't you understand that my father loves me!_

 

The words were barely a second from forming on Via's tongue, but she stopped herself from saying them. From what Mal had just told her, she hadn't hidden her tracks as well as she thought she had. And while Fairy Godmother didn't know Via was involved in anything, she did know there was something going on. Meaning that Via had to watch her step.

 

But then again...she didn't want to. She wanted to stand up on the table and scream to the whole of Auradon Prep that Varian wasn't who he'd been made out to be, and she wasn't either. Someday, she promised herself, she would say it.

 

Mal was still looking at her with concern, waiting for her to speak, and Via pulled herself back to reality. "Thanks, Mal," she said. "That really means a lot. Hey, what day is it today?"

 

 "It's Thursday," Mal said, blinking in confusion. "Why?"

 

 "Oh, nothing," Via said, as she casually dropped one of her little balls of cleaning serum onto her plate and watched the puff of red smoke float away into the air. "I've just got somewhere to be."

 

 She pulled her backpack onto her shoulder and headed for the third electives room without a glance back at Mal. The king's girlfriend would know exactly where she was going- to talk with her father.

 

  _And just in case you were wondering, Your Ladyship, I'm doing it because I want to._

 

* * *

 

"Grab a pencil, Via," Varian said, the moment the computer screen flickered to life. "And listen to me very carefully. I think I figured out your little dilemma with that science project."

 

 Via scribbled down every word he said as he listed various ingredients and measurements for a serum she had never seen before. She didn't even recognize half of the components, and she had absolutely no idea what this project might turn out to be.

 

 "Four cups of water?" she said at one point, raising an eyebrow. "That's like, a lot. I really only need a few drops-"

 

" _No,"_ Varian said, with enough intensity that Via raised her gaze from the paper and looked into his eyes. There was something in them that shouldn't have been there- a flicker of worry. "Trust me, Via, that's the most important piece of this whole thing. You've got to water it down, otherwise...well, it could be bad. This'll do what you want it to, but if you don't dilute it properly, it could do a lot worse. Understand?"

 

 "Okay," Via said, and Varian went back to giving her the instructions for the serum. 

 

 When he finally finished, Via glanced over the bizarre list. "Dad, what in the world is this?" she asked.

 

 "You'll find out when you finish it," Varian said, tilting his head ever so slightly in Fairy Godmother's direction, letting Via know he couldn't say anything more in front of her. "And don't worry, sweetheart, it's not dangerous or anything. Just a bit unwieldy. Nothing that's not perfectly safe." 

 

 He said it in a light tone, as if he were just giving her the facts, but Via caught the look on his face and knew the truth. Whatever this concoction was, it was more than likely  _very_ dangerous. Varian was only saying the opposite so that Fairy Godmother didn't get suspicious of what they were up to.

 

_She already is._ Via had to warn Varian of that. But how?

 

 "Thanks for the help, Dad," she said, folding the paper and sliding it into her pocket. "I think I'll get this project done soon. And I bet I get an A in chemistry."

 

 "I wouldn't expect anything less," Varian said with a smile. "So how's the rest of life? You're fitting in, making friends?"

 

 "Kinda," Via said. "Anyone from Corona seems to think I'm one step away from blowing up the place, but other than that, it's been okay. Well, except for Mal. Apparently she's trying to "figure me out." And-" Via continued in a reckless divulsion of the full truth- "she doesn't like it that I talk to you." 

Fairy Godmother looked up in surprise. Obviously she hadn't expected Via to catch on. But she said nothing.

 "Oh?" Varian said, raising an eyebrow as a hard look came into his face. He'd caught the warning in his daughter's words. "And why would that be?"

 

 "She thinks I'm like her, that I'm gonna steal a magic wand or something. It's funny." Via let a tragic note of discouragement come into her voice. "They promised they'd give me a second chance here, but they seem to think I'm a villain and I'm always gonna be one." She shrugged her shoulders. "It'd be nice if they didn't suspect me of doing something evil every time I opened my mouth. I mean, this is Auradon, right? They're not supposed to act like that."

 

She snuck a glance at Fairy Godmother and saw with a thrill of pleasure that her trick had worked. Shame flooded the older woman's face, and Via knew she was feeling guilty over her suspicions. _Perfect._

 

 "I wish I had the words, honey," Varian said quietly. "But hey. Just focus on what makes you happy, okay? Like that science project. Seems to me you're about to make a real  _connection_ there. Sorry I can't help with the rest of it."

 

_Uh, what?_ Via could tell from the way Varian said the words that they were code for something, but she had absolutely no clue what.

 

_Connection...I can't help with the rest of it..._

 

Oh. Suddenly Via understood. Varian may have come up with the serum that could help to break the barrier, but he was telling her that it wouldn't work on the bridge. She'd have to come up with something else for that.  _Nicely done, Dad._

 

She nodded. "I'll figure it out," she said. They exchanged small talk for a few minutes, then said their goodbyes.

 

Fairy Godmother was waiting as Via turned around. "I have to apologize," she said. "Something you said...well, it opened my eyes to how I've been acting. I've been worried about your relationship to your father. It didn't seem normal for the Isle. But whatever suspicions I may have about Varian, I should never have projected those onto you. This is your new start, after all. Please accept my apologies, Via."

 

Via smiled generously, hoping her inner  _fooled you_ didn't show on her face. "Of course, Fairy Godmother," she said graciously. "But this is normal when it comes to my dad. He really does care for me, a lot more than most parents on the Isle care about their kids."

 

 Fairy Godmother nodded, but her expression revealed her doubts.

 

 "Really," Via said. "If I ever suspect that my dad's using me, for anything, I'll tell you and Mal right away. I'm not going to end up like that squid-girl from three years ago, really I'm not."

 

 "Oh, I know, dear," Fairy Godmother said soothingly, patting Via's hand. "Sometimes I worry too much."

 

Via smiled, pulling her backpack over her shoulder and waving goodbye to Fairy Godmother as she walked out of the room. She couldn't keep an evil smile from blossoming on her face as she made her way down the hall.

 

_Sometimes, Fairy Godmother, you don't worry enough._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are so very, very close to the most exciting part of this story. I just can't wait for you guys to see how this ends. Also, after spending my weekend watching everything I could get my hands on that had Jeremy Jordan in it, I cannot write this fan fiction without picturing him as this story's version of Varian. I mean, he voices Varian in the show already, and I could totally see him playing my older version of the character. It's just too perfect for words. (I fully admit to daydreaming about this fic being turned into a movie. Not likely, but hey, a girl can dream).


	13. Chapter Twelve: Light of the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Via draws closer to the end of her evil endeavors, but roadblock after roadblock keeps cropping up to stop her...and there's one person in Auradon who may not be as blind to her plans as she hopes.

It was yet another calm, peaceful Monday night at Auradon Prep. The halls were quiet; even the faculty was asleep. The lights were out and the school was dark.

 

A shining sliver of a moon, a crescent with points as sharp as a sword, peered in through the window of the dark chemistry lab. Dark, except for the glowing blue vial propped up in the center of the table. Via was at it again, taking the opportunity to mix together the ingredients on the list that her father had given her. It was a strange list, that much she knew; it matched absolutely no serum or concoction she knew of. Then again, no serum or concoction she knew of could break the barrier, so she'd take Varian's word for it.

 

At least the ingredients were pretty simple. Via found them all in the chemistry lab cupboards and cabinets. One of the cabinets had been locked for as long as Via had been in Auradon, but the rest were full of possibilities that sent her head spinning.

 

Carefully, she mixed and measured her ingredients into a large beaker. The final ingredient turned out to be a thin, acidic purple liquid. Via filled a dropper with the stuff, gingerly squirting it into the beaker.

 

The liquid turned a bright, fluorescent yellow-green. And instantly Via understood. 

 

The dropper fell from her hand, and she felt her fists clench, her nails digging into her palm. "Oh, Dad," she whispered. "I'm so sorry!"

 

 She had never seen the liquid, never even seen its hardened form. But she knew, all the same, what it was. Now she knew the reason for the tormented look in her father's eyes when he had given her his instructions.

 

This was the amber. This was the terrible, deadly creation that had, for all intents and purposes, killed Via's grandfather. This was the thing that Varian feared the most. 

 

Via's hatred for Auradon immediately doubled itself. "It's not fair!" she burst out.

 

Her heart ached for her father. What he must have gone through, how it must have tortured him to put this dangerous substance in her hands...

 

But he had had no other choice. No, scratch that; he'd been _given_ no other choice. Auradon had forced him to do this if he ever wanted to be free again.

 

Oh, how Via despised them- Beast, Ben, Mal, anyone who had had a hand in creating the system. Who were they, these fairytale kings and queens, to put her dad into such a position? 

 

 "It's okay, Dad," she whispered. "I'll be okay. I'll figure this out. I'll get you out of there."

 

 She no longer questioned the reason for the large amount of water she'd been told to add to the serum. She grabbed a cup and walked to the sink on the back wall, carefully adding the exact amount Varian had specified. The liquid stopped glowing and turned a pale yellow color.

 

 "Hopefully," Via mumbled under her breath, "that means it's safe."

 

She trusted her father completely, but her fingers still shook as she spilled some of her precious pixie dust onto the table. The dust was glowing faintly; it hadn't lost its magical potency. It could serve as a stand-in for the Isle barrier.

 

Via carefully let three or four drops of the weakened amber solution fall onto the layer of golden dust. She would probably have to add something- she didn't have the faintest idea what yet- to the mixture to make it work on a magical element. Hopefully she could use something Varian had access to.

 

But the amber serum surprised her. At its first harsh crack she braced herself, half expecting enormous amber crystals to shoot up from the table and encase her. 

 

They never came. The sound faded, and after a moment, Via bent over her experiment. 

 

Her mouth dropped open. 

 

 "It works!" she whispered. She let out an incredulous little laugh and said it again. "It works!"

 

There was nothing she had to add, nothing else she had to do. There, lying on the table in front of her very eyes, was a sheet of paper-thin amber, and frozen within it, the faintly glowing particles of pixie dust. Still glowing, still magic- but breakable. Vulnerable.

 

Carefully Via lifted the amber sheet from the table, resting it across her hands, and balanced it across two test tube racks. She could feel how fragile it was just by lifting it, how easily it might crumble into dust. She raised a fist in the air and, with the villainous smile she had come to perfect, she brought it down.

 

Her hand went straight through the thin material at the first blow, with a crash like shattering glass. Via winced, hoping no one had heard it, but the chemistry lab was too far away from the dorms for there to be any danger.

 

The shattered yellow shards on the table were, to Via, the quintessence of everything she had been working so hard to achieve since arriving on Auradon. They signified the end of her good-girl act, the release of her father, the start of a new life together. She could repay Audrey and Caden and Mal and Razelle and anyone else who had ever done her wrong. If she wanted to, she could punish the entire school! And why shouldn't she do just that? Nobody could stop her, after all. Nothing was off-limits anymore.

 

Oh, yes, everything was coming together now. Everything would soon be over. All Via had to do was figure out the bridge piece, how to solidify the bridge thickly enough to walk across, and she was home free. Varian could break through the barrier in an instant as long as he had the amber solution. Auradon would finally pay for all its injustices.

 

And after that there was only Corona left on the list of targets. Corona, for which Varian had planned a special revenge. 

 

Via could almost taste it. Revenge, she decided, was deliciously sweet.

 

* * *

 

Via returned to the chemistry lab Tuesday night. She almost didn't need sleep anymore; villainy gave her all the energy she needed.

 

Tonight her focus was on one thing and one thing only: the bridge. When she had worked on the barrier, her objective had been to make a strong thing weaker. Now she had to adjust her thinking and make a weak thing stronger.

 

She had absolutely no idea where to start. But she  _did_ have about a gallon of weakened amber solution, and she definitely wouldn't need that much, so she had plenty to experiment with and plenty of room for error.

 

_When all else fails, try a bunch of random stuff and see if it gets you anywhere._

 

That was her plan tonight: to try ingredient after ingredient until, hopefully, she got the results she wanted. And that result would be safe amber that wouldn't break. Amber that could make a bridge from Auradon to the Isle.

 

She went to the back wall and studied its cupboards full of ingredients."Where do I start?" she asked no one, her heart giving an excited little jump at the thought of all the possibilities staring her in the face. 

 

After a moment of consideration, she shrugged her shoulders and emptied the first cupboard. Luckily the ingredients were arranged in alphabetical order; she could put them back in exactly the same way they had been and no one would be the wiser as to her little late-night experiments. She grabbed a random jar from the pile and examined the label.

 

_Ooh, powdered Atlantean coral. Wonder what that does._

 

It turned out to do absolutely nothing. When mixed into a test tube of the amber solution, the powdered coral simply sank to the bottom and turned into a mound of soggy sludge.  _Well, that was a waste of time. Next!_

 

Via spent the next hour trying different ingredients, from extract of poisoned apple to crushed enchanted-rose petal. Some ingredients changed the amber's color, some dissolved, and some just floated on the top or sank to the bottom. A few fizzled up, and a small handful caused the solution to bubble. Two or three started glowing. A good many did nothing at all. One would have exploded had Via not thrown it quickly into a beaker full of water.

 

But no matter what Via tried, nothing showed any signs of making the amber stronger. She tried everything in the first cabinet, and then everything in the second and third and fourth cabinets.

 

Finally she was out of things to try and running very low on amber solution. The only cabinet that remained was that small mysterious one that had been locked as long as Via could remember. She plunked down in one of the classroom chairs and gazed out the window, pondering her problem.

 

Technically, she already had a stronger version of the amber. But she couldn't use it for the bridge.  _Dad would have a world-class freakout. And anybody that tried to cross would wind up getting trapped in an unbreakable rock. We'd have an empty Isle and a bridge full of frozen villains. And wouldn't Auradon just love that?_

 

She could just hear Snow White on the news. "After an unsuccessful attempt to escape the Isle of the Lost, it appears the villains have solved our problems for us by getting themselves stuck in unbreakable amber. In other news, today's fashion highlights were..."

 

 "No, thanks," Via said out loud. She wouldn't let that happen. She'd keep trying, and eventually she'd figure it out. She'd come too far to fail now.

 

She let her gaze wander over the empty classroom, considering her options. 

 

Maybe she could use the booby-trap solution her dad had developed. They had managed to create a stronger version on the Isle; maybe it would hold the amber together long enough to...

 

_It would never work. In the first place, we'd all look dumb, trying to cross a bridge made of gel that's sucking our shoes down. In the second place, it'd take forever to get across. Every knight and soldier in Auradon would be waiting for us by the time we got over, and having a good laugh while they're at it. That one's not an option._

 

But did she have any other options?

 

She sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the stripe of moonlight that came through the window move slowly across the floor.

 

Suddenly something caught her eye. Something small and shiny, lying on the floor in the corner, illuminated by the moonlight. She stood up and walked over to it.

 

Her brows furrowed. The sparkle came from a key, a tiny silver key, plain and undecorated. 

 

 "That's weird," Via said, bending to pick it up. She held it in the palm of her hand, wondering what it might unlock.

 

 Her gaze fell on the cabinets along the back wall. More specifically, the one that had always been locked.

 

The key looked as if it might fit. Via caught her breath and darted to the locked cabinet, slowly sliding the key into the lock.

 

It fit. It fit perfectly. Grinning in anticipation, Via clicked the lock open and pulled the cabinet door open wide.

 

It was empty- almost. Pushed so far in that Via almost didn't see it was a single glass jar with the label facing the back of the cabinet, unreadable. Via reached in and seized the jar, turning it around so that she could see the label.

 

She almost dropped the jar. There were only three words written on the label, but to Via those three words meant everything.

 

_If Dad could only see this..._

 

She didn't know how this precious substance had come to be here. She didn't know what else it had- or hadn't- been used for. But she knew what it was, and what it could do.

 

It could do what she wanted.

 

There was no time tonight. But tomorrow...tomorrow could end it all. 

 

Via replaced the jar in the cabinet, sliding the key into her pocket. Working quickly and quietly, she erased every trace of her doings tonight, restoring the classroom to the way it had been before she entered. Before she left she looked up at the silver crescent moon, without which she would never have found the key. "Thanks," she said softly.

 

She could have sworn it smiled at her.

 

* * *

 

A few minutes after Via's departure from the chemistry lab, another figure glided silently down the corridors of Auradon Prep. She opened the door to the lab and stepped inside, looking immediately at the place where the silver key had been.

 

She smiled, seeing it gone, and nodded her head in satisfaction. "So you took the bait, alchemist," she said to herself. "I knew you were up to something. But I don't think I'll expose you and your little scheme quite yet. No-" she laughed a little- "I'll let you think you've got the upper hand."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much science! I apologize to anyone who doesn't like the scienciness. This is not the fic for you.
> 
> Also, what do you think the jar in the locked cupboard is? And who's watching Via? Give me your best guess in the comments!
> 
> Also also, OVER 1000 VIEWS, GUYS!!! Thank you so much, y'all are the best. Next chapter, I give fair warning, is very angsty. And it also kicks off the exciting part of things.
> 
> For now, Via is definitely going to stay a villain. Here's another question for y'all, though- knowing that Via is a villain, do you still want her to win in the end of this story? Let me know!


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Explosive Debate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An awkward class discussion leads to Via revealing a small part of her true personality. For her plan to succeed, she has no choice but to win back the trust of her classmates, but that might be difficult...

The shrill ring of the bell made Via jump. She hadn't really been paying to the Magical History lecture for three important reasons.

 

First, she hadn't been able to get her mind off the little glass jar she'd found in the locked cabinet.  _How long have they known how to make that? How did they do it? And why didn't anyone tell me?_

 

Second, she wasn't all that interested in today's topic, which was Prince Phillip's enchanted sword. One more moment of Audrey's smug smile and Via thought she might be sick.

 

And lastly, it was Thursday, and Via's mind was solely on talking to her father later that afternoon. _I have to tell him that the amber worked. And about that little_ discovery _I made last night. Oh my gosh, how do I put something like that in code?_

 

She gathered up her things, glancing at the clock on the back wall. "Yikes," she said to herself. "I'm gonna be late for History of Auradon."

 

While she only really enjoyed chemistry class (especially since she was allowed to do almost anything she wanted as long as it wasn't dangerous) she did find Auradon's history to be somewhat entertaining. She darted down the hallway and sat down in her desk only seconds before the class began.

 

There seemed to be an awful lot of eyes on her today, she thought. She could feel it, her classmates watching her out of their peripheral vision, with strange, almost guilty looks on their faces.  _What is going on? I wasn't even late!_

 

Trying to act as if everything was normal, she pulled her books out of her backpack and arranged them on her desk, then glanced up at the blackboard to see what the day's subject was.

 

Oh. _Oh_. Today was _that day._ She hadn't realized it would be so soon. But it explained the strange looks.

 

There, written on the board in Fairy Godmother's delicate handwriting, was the single word that Via despised most.

 

_Corona._

 

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. There was nothing she could do; this was part of the class.  _Best just to get this over with. I'll be out of here soon anyway, as soon as I get the bridge serum done._

 

Fairy Godmother, looking slightly more flustered than usual and avoiding eye contact with Via, hurried down the aisle and took her position at the front of the room.

 "I'm so sorry I'm late," she said. "I just had to...er, I was...well, it doesn't matter. Turn in your textbooks to..."

 

 And they were off, diving headfirst into the history of the kingdom that had caused all of Via's troubles.

 

At first, surprisingly, it wasn't too bad. The textbook detailed Rapunzel's story: the tower, Mother Gothel, Flynn Rider, all the other highlights of that little misadventure. Via had heard the story before, not from Varian but from others. Other than the fact that it was her family's greatest enemy being discussed, there wasn't anything that Via really had to concern herself with.

 

But just as she let herself relax, the lecture took a sudden turn. Now the territory was even more familiar, and not in a good way.

 

Black rocks. An ancient darkness. A disastrous blizzard.

 

A stab in the back from a royal hand, repainted in deceiving Auradon words that made a betrayal sound like a heroic deed.

 

Via felt her fists clench and hid them quickly under her desk, gritting her teeth. She flipped quickly through her textbook, blocking out Fairy Godmother's words, searching for something, anything that would tell her...

 

There it was. A single paragraph on a single page. Via scanned it quickly, her blue eyes narrowing as she read.

 

**Following the blizzard, a new enemy of Corona quickly rose to power in the form of the dangerous and unstable alchemist Varian. Possessing a deep hatred for Rapunzel, Varian nevertheless cloaked his true nature for a time, tricking the princess into assisting him with the theft of the fabled Sundrop Flower. Revealing his real intentions, Varian made his escape and embarked on an evil quest to revenge himself on the princess, even going so far as to attempt the murder of Rapunzel's mother and best friend. Fortunately, these crimes were foiled, after which...**

 

But there Via stopped. She couldn't even hear Fairy Godmother anymore through the roaring in her ears. Her heart pounded; the world spiraled around her until there was nothing in it but those lying words on the snowy white page.

 

_This isn't right!_ The thought blasted through her head. This showed none of the real story, none of the betrayal, none of the injustice, none of her father's pain. This told none of the things that Rapunzel had done wrong, laying the blame for everything squarely on Varian's shoulders. This was nothing but a lie.

 

Something in Via snapped.

 

Her furious cry interrupted Fairy Godmother's lecture. All eyes in the room turned to her as she shot to her feet, tearing the page from her textbook and crumpling it in her hands.

 

 "This isn't right!" she shouted. "This isn't how it happened! This isn't the truth!"

 

 "Via-" Fairy Godmother began, but Via never heard her, instead wheeling on Caden and Razelle. Razelle studied her lap intently, but Caden met Via's furious blue gaze with a tiny smirk that doubled her burning anger.

 

 "You know this isn't what happened!" Via cried. "You know this is nothing but a lie! Your mothers were there, they should have set this straight! My father's told me the story over and over and over again, and I know what-"

 

 "Maybe it's your version of the story that needs to be set straight, Via," Caden retorted. "Maybe it's your father who's lying. Isn't he pretty good at doing that?" Her lips held a patronizing smile, but her eyes were cold.

 

"Via," Fairy Godmother began sternly, "I will not tolerate this behavior in my classroom." 

 

But Via wasn't listening anymore. Her lip curled in anger, and she turned abruptly, hurling the crumpled textbook page into the aisle. Two tiny vials followed, shattering on top of the crumpled wad of paper, igniting it with a loud bang and the crash of breaking glass. Several students screamed.

 

Via spun on her heel and slammed the classroom door behind her.

 

* * *

 

Via spent most of that afternoon in her room with the door locked, not even bothering to come out for lunch. For an hour all she could bring herself to do was sketch the symbol of Corona, over and over again, on pieces of paper that she immediately crumpled into the garbage. Her fingers shook around the pen, and every muscle in her body was tight with anger.

 

Gradually, though, that anger began to fade. And slowly she began to realize just what a predicament she had put herself in.

 

It had felt good, so very, very good, to show them who she was and what she could do. But it was dangerous. She had exposed a part of her nature that she should have waited to reveal. Now they would be wary, watching her, making her task harder. 

 

Of course Via didn't care what Caden or Razelle or the rest of her idiotic classmates thought of her. But the fact that she had had her outburst in front of Fairy Godmother of all people...

 

"Yeah," Via sighed. "I might want to get that fixed."

 

There was only one way to patch things up. The Auradon way. Via rolled her eyes. _Eh, I'll take care of it tomorrow._

 

She made herself scarce for the remainder of the class periods, escaping her room as soon as Audrey walked in. She wandered idly through the hallways, trying to temper her emotions and salvage whatever she could from her damaged persona of a "good girl."

 

She could feel her classmates watching her. Not like they had been this morning, wondering how she might react; now they had already seen her reaction. Some of them, she would have ventured to guess, were actually afraid of her now.

 

If she'd been back on the Isle, she would have loved that. Heck, if they had only looked at her that way after her evil plan went down, she would have reveled in that even more. But now?

 

Now it was simply too early. Their fear of her was a problem. _A really, really big one._

 

At some point during the afternoon, she wandered into the abandoned cafeteria and scavenged a few leftover dishes for lunch. By Isle standards, it was still a banquet. After she finished, she sat at the table for a long time, tapping her fingers on the table and staring out the window. Considering what had just happened, she felt strangely calm.

 

Finally, however, she stood up and headed back down the hallway toward her dorm. She may have dodged Audrey's wrath earlier, but she knew the princess would have words for her eventually. Audrey had probably been nursing a tirade all day, mainly about how dare Via embarrass her in front of the class and did she know how this made her look, blah, blah, blah. Via decided she'd rather suffer through it as soon as possible than wait.

 

As she approached her room, however, she heard voices coming from behind the closed door. Voices other than Audrey's. Via's eyes narrowed. She crept silently up to the door and eased it open just a crack, enough to see inside the room.

 

Audrey, as expected, was sprawled dramatically across her bed like a tragic heroine. Caden leaned against the wall with her arms folded across her chest, her mother's signature glare plastered across her face. Razelle was perched on the edge of Via's bed, darting nervous glances at the picture on Via's dresser and toying with her long golden braid. Erika sat straight and regal on one of Audrey's pink chairs, her hands folded primly in her lap. Via's suspicion doubled. _What in the world are they doing in there?_

 

"I can't believe her!" Audrey wailed. "I've got a straight-up villain for a roommate! Do you have any idea how this makes me look? It's a tragedy!"

 

"She seemed very sweet to me," Erika said. "It can't have been easy, finding out the truth the way she did. You said yourself, Caden, that her father can make things seem different than they really are. As far as she knew, whatever twisted version he told her _was_ the true story...until today."

 

"She scares me," Razelle said. "You all saw her today, causing that explosion right there in the middle of class! Obviously Varian's taught her everything he knows. And now who knows what she knows, and all I know is there's no way I can find out what she knows until she lets me know, you know?"

 

There was an extended moment of silence while they all digested that speech. Razelle blushed and went back to working her fingers through her long hair. Caden pulled herself away from the wall, her green eyes glittering.

 

"We need to be careful," she said. "The biggest flaw in King Ben's plan to bring the villain kids over here is we can't tell which ones want to stay evil. They can't all turn good. Some of them are too far gone, some of them are never going to change, some of them are just like their parents. If we bring them over here, they can do whatever they want inside Auradon, and if they hide it well enough, we won't see it coming until it's too late. That's what Varian tried to do when the whole thing started with Rapunzel and my mother, and he nearly took down Corona. Call me a pessimist, but there are some villain kids on the Isle who are going to stay just that." Her voice darkened. "Villains. And as far as villains go, Via's a perfect candidate. I say we keep a close eye on her."

 

Silence fell over the room. Via stood there by the door for a long moment, taking in the full weight of Caden's words.

 

Then, for the second time that day, she fled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, the most exciting part of this story has officially begun, and Via doesn't seem to be taking it too well. The next chapter is going to include a lot of angst, a lot of drama, a very familiar one-liner, and the introduction of someone who's been conspicuously missing for a while now. It's all downhill from here, y'all.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Via the Villain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reeling from the shock of a surprising conversation, Via takes some alone time to sort out her thoughts and decide, once and for all, what side she is going to fight on. The sudden reappearance of an old friend might help her out.

Via leaned back against the rough bark of the spreading, ancient oak tree, staring up at the sky through a canopy of leaves. She pillowed her elbows behind her head and let out a long, discouraged sigh.

 

She hadn't stopped running after she overheard Caden and the others talking. She'd run straight out of Auradon Prep, and she hadn't stopped for breath until she'd arrived here, in a park a block or so from the school.  _I need space, and fresh air. A chance to clear my head._

 

They were right, of course. Audrey and Caden and the others were more right about her than they knew. She was a villain, through and through, plain and simple. She was a liar, an actress, a pretender, an inside girl with ulterior motives. She was a schemer and a plotter and a deceiver. She was, as Caden had called her, the definition of a villain.

 

But it hurt that they had never seen her as anything else.

 

Even before today, even before her outburst, she had been a villain to them, someone to be watched and whispered about, made a project instead of a person. She was stared at, spied on, stepped around as if she were a volatile bombshell full of villainy just waiting to explode at the slightest provocation.

 

It wasn't like that at all, she thought. She was careful. She would only show her true nature when the time came to do it. But they acted as if that time might be any time at all, and she was surprised how much it hurt her that they did it.

 

What if things were different, she found herself wondering. What if she had arrived on Auradon and found the welcome that King Ben had promised? What if she had arrived on Auradon and been trusted, assumed innocent until proven guilty, accepted because of who she was instead of where she came from?

 

Would she still be the Via that she was today? Would she still be evil, conniving, crafty, with a trick up her sleeve and a secret in her heart? If Varian had told her it was time to let the gloves come off, would she have done it? Or would she have changed, embraced the light, and turned her back on her father and his schemes?

 

No, she decided immediately. Varian had had enough people stab him in the back already; no matter what the circumstances she could never have done that to him again. But if Auradon had given her the benefit of the doubt, maybe she would have tried to talk him out of it.

 

She would never know for sure, because things had not played out that way. 

 

Of course she didn't mind them fearing her. She didn't mind them whispering, calling her a villain. A villain was exactly what she was.  _If the shoe fits, wear it._

 

But all of that should have come after she proved herself to be evil. And it hadn't. She had never been given a chance. She had been evil from the moment she stepped in the door of Auradon Prep, evil because of whose daughter she was.

 

_They can call me a villain all they want- after I show them that I deserve the title._

 

But after all, Via thought bitterly, why should she expect a chance to prove herself? After all, her father had never gotten a chance himself. Varian, too, had been treated like a villain before he was one, hated and forced from his home by the gullible citizens of Corona, who swallowed the lie that he had attacked their precious princess and acted on it without a shred of proof. Many times Varian had told his daughter the story of those cold, lonely days, forgotten by everyone in whom he had trusted, hated by everyone else.

 

A situation like that was a garden for villainy to grow and flourish in. Rapunzel had planted the seed thanks to her betrayal, and the people of Corona had watered it. And from that first small sprout of darkness had come the thorny vine that would choke Auradon in its clutches.

 

And Via's villainous flower was budding too. But Auradon had stamped it into the ground before it had a chance to grow into something dangerous. Before it was a threat, they had assumed it would be one.

 

_Unfortunately for them, that particular flower grows back with a vengeance._

 

Being called a villain had not made Via reconsider being one. It had made her want to be one all the more strongly, because it was only as a villain that she would be free to take her revenge on all the people who had mistrusted her from the start.  _You can believe the worst about me, Auradon- but you haven't seen it yet._

 

Now she was determined not only to be a villain. Now she was determined to be a great one. Her name, and her father's, would go down in whatever history books might remain when they were finished with Auradon. She vowed to be remembered for years to come as the girl who took down the perfect kingdom from the inside. She would have everything she had ever dreamed of, starting with revenge. Every person who had ever wronged her would pay for it twice over.

 

Oh, not right away. She had to hide her true self for a while yet. But someday, someday soon, she would find the solution to the bridge. She would find a way to give Varian the message, and then some way to get back to the Isle as the barrier broke. She would do what Varian had asked her to do and be reunited with him, to achieve their vengeance side by side, father and daughter, partners in crime, unstoppable.

 

_And that, Auradon, is when you should start worrying._

 

Whatever tiny remnants of fairy-tale goodness might have been buried deep inside Via found themselves crushed in that moment, under the oak tree. There was no room left for doubt or uncertainty or wavering between the two sides. She had, right here, right now, chosen her side. Her side was as black as night.

 

Suddenly Via raised her head, her forehead wrinkling. She'd suddenly had the distinct feeling that she was not alone.

 

"Hello?" she called out tentatively, her gaze sweeping the park, searching for the person who had just interrupted her train of thought.

There was no one there. There was no answer.

Wait, now Via did hear something. But it wasn't a voice. It was a strange sound, one she'd never heard before- almost like a chittering.

"What the..." Via stared at the bushes in front of her, certain that whatever was making the sound was inside them. _This is getting weird._

She got her answer a moment later. The chittering sound grew louder, more excited, and then, without warning, _something_ crawled out of the bushes and stopped a few feet away from her, watching her with bright, excited eyes.

Via relaxed, rolling her eyes. It was only a chubby little raccoon, holding an apple core in his paws.

"Oh, right, I forgot this is Auradon," Via said. "Where little friendly animals materialize out of thin air when the princess gets mopey. Sorry, buddy, but I'm not a princess. And I don't really feel like doing some insipid little song and dance number right now."

The raccoon tilted his head to one side with an understanding chirp. Then, before Via realized what he was doing, he dropped the apple core, scampered up to her, buried a tiny black paw in the blue streak of hair that hung loose from her ponytail, and yanked.

"Ouch!" Via shouted. "Hey, what's the matter...with...you."

Her voice trailed off. The raccoon was going nuts, chirping and chittering as if he'd made the discovery of a lifetime. He scrambled up Via's arm and perched on her shoulder, frantically petting her face.

"Okay, even for Auradon, you're _really_ friendly," Via told him. The raccoon replied with another series of enthusiastic squeaks and nuzzled her cheek.

"Wait a minute." Via suddenly remembered a part of her father's story that she'd almost forgotten.

"Dad had a raccoon like you once," she said, half to herself. "What was his name again..."

She snapped her fingers. "Rudiger, that was it! Rudiger!"

The raccoon immediately lost it, squeaking and chirping incessantly while running around in circles before climbing back up onto Via's shoulder and making a sound that was almost like a high-pitched purr.

Via frowned. "Hey, calm down, I just said..." An idea came to her mind, and she reached up and plucked the raccoon off her shoulder, holding him at arm's length and looking into his excited little face.

"You're not _actually_ Rudiger, are you?" she asked him. He chirped loudly and tried to crawl up her arm again.

"Oh my gosh," Via gasped. "It _is_ you! But how is that possible? That was, like, twenty years ago!"

The raccoon squeaked, almost as if to say, _I have no idea, but here I am!_

Via lifted the blue streak in her hair with two fingers. "How'd you recognize me, huh, buddy? Was it because of this? You saw this and thought of my dad?"

The raccoon's chirp could not have been more like _Exactly!_ if he'd actually spoken. Via laughed in spite of herself.

"Do you miss him?" she asked. Another squeak.

"Yeah," Via said, cuddling the raccoon close. "So do I."

But she felt better now, strangely. Here was someone else who knew the real story, the full truth. She didn't feel so alone in the world anymore.

She sat there for a while, holding the plump little creature close, watching the sun set and the half-moon rise in the sky.

"It's been a rough day, Rudiger," she said softly. "They don't trust me. They think I'm a villain. And they're right. I am. But they never gave me half a chance to be anything else. Maybe, maybe if they had, I would have taken it. But it's too late now."

Rudiger reached up to stroke her face again, as if to reassure her. Via's fingers tightened in his soft grey fur.

"This is hard," she whispered. "Harder than I thought it'd be." Her voice dropped even lower as she said something she had never said aloud before. "This is hard. And I'm scared. I'm scared it's not going to work, that I'm not going to be able to do what my dad needs me to do. I'm scared of letting him down."

A soft, understanding sound from Rudiger. Via, comforted, went on.

"I'm scared of what the truth is. I'm scared that they're right."

She sat there in silence for a long time. The sun turned scarlet and sank down in the horizon, spreading bright crimson lines across the sky.

"No," Via said suddenly, forcefully. "They're not right, they're not! Good may always win, but it's not always right. Maybe there are times when the other side deserves to win. Maybe good is only good because people think it is. Maybe this is one of those times."

Rudiger looked up at her with concern as her voice rose. "Maybe I'm not really the villain after all. Maybe my dad isn't either. Maybe we're just the villains because somebody else got called the hero. Maybe _I'm_ the hero...of my own story."

She fell silent for a long moment. And then, at last, she spoke.

"I'll be the villain if that's what they want," she said. "But they better be careful what they wish for."

Rudiger curled up close to her with an anxious chirp, almost as if to say, _Here we go again._

"Sorry, buddy," Via told him. "But this won't be like last time, okay? This time I'm going to win."

Her voice fell, low and dark and soft and dangerous.

"They want me to be the bad guy?" she whispered. "Fine. Now I'm the bad guy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh. I've had this chapter sitting in my notes for so long. I could not wait until we reached the point where I got to share it with you. RUDIGER HAS ARRIVED, Y'ALL!!! I could just picture that scene in my head. That raccoon has just totally adopted Via now, no questions asked.
> 
> Also, I listened to the voice of the audience. You wanted Via to stay a villain, and I have answered accordingly. As to whether she and Varian win or not, I'll keep that under wraps, but rest assured that there are no redemption arcs in this story. Yes, that includes Varian. Apologies to those who want to see him change. This is not the fic for you. (Seriously, was I supposed to write another Varian redemption story? There are like, eight hundred out there. I want something original, thank you very much).
> 
> The next chapter, as a little sneak peek, is another one of those ones that I am just beyond excited about. It's going to throw a wrench in the whole game while answering two of this story's biggest burning questions. I can't wait for it.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: A Red, Red Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Putting the pieces of her Auradon persona back together proves easier than Via expected. But a shadow from the past may complicate the game.

Via felt the stares of her classmates as she walked through the hallways of Auradon Prep with Rudiger perched on her shoulder. But she didn't care about those stares anymore.

 

The door of Fairy Godmother's office hung partly open. Fairy Godmother herself was inside, seated at her desk, writing intently on a piece of paper.

 

Via paused in the doorway and cleared her throat. Fairy Godmother looked up. 

 

 "Via," she said. "You're back." There was no hint in her voice of what the consequences of Via's outburst earlier that morning might be.

 

 Via nodded. "I came to apologize," she said. "For this morning. What I did was way out of line, and I'm sorry. I was just...shocked. I'd, uh, heard things differently. And on the Isle, we aren't really taught how to control our emotions that well."

 

 Fairy Godmother's face lit up like one of those stupid floating lanterns from Corona. Via could practically read her thoughts in her eyes: The child of a villain, come to apologize for wrongdoing? Surely that was progress.

 

_You wish._

 

 "I appreciate the apology, Via," Fairy Godmother said. "In hindsight, perhaps I should have handled the situation a little more delicately. You shouldn't have had to find out the truth of what really happened in front of your classmates, and, well,  _I_ apologize for that."

 

Via nodded again, unsure what a proper response would be, and unsure that she'd be able to make it. Right now all she wanted was to punch something,  _hard._

 

"Apparently, though, Via," Fairy Godmother said, "there's something else we need to discuss."

 

 Via stared at her confusedly. Fairy Godmother's plump lips curved in a half-smile, and she nodded towards Via's shoulder.

 

 "Your little friend?" she said. "Technically, students aren't supposed to have pets on campus."

 

 "Oh, come on!" Via protested. "Look at him, he's perfectly tame. If Mal can have a magic lizard that used to be her evil fairy mother in her room, I can have a raccoon."

 

Fairy Godmother tilted her head to one side, considering the statement. "I suppose I can't argue with that," she conceded finally. "I'll allow it, then. But I'm not sure how your roommate's going to react."

 

 Via reached up and plucked Rudiger off her shoulder, holding him like a baby in her arms. He chirped happily. "Don't worry," Via said. "I'm sure this little sweetheart'll win Audrey over."

 

She stood there for a moment, and then, tentatively, she voiced her next request. "Fairy Godmother?" she said. "I-I know it's late, but I-I need to talk to him. Please."

 

 "Your father?" Fairy Godmother said, her brow creasing in concern. "Via, dear, I'm not sure that's the best idea. After what happened today-"

 

 "I have all the more reason to want to talk to him," Via said. "It's been a rough day, a  _really_ rough day, and I just...I need to..." Her voice trailed off; there was just no way to say what she meant.

 

Fairy Godmother sighed, but she had that look in her eyes that Via knew meant she had been won over. "If you think he'll still be up," she said helplessly. 

 

 "He will be," Via said to herself as she followed Fairy Godmother down the hall. 

 

And he was, sitting at the table in the lab, watching a bubbling vial of red liquid and scribbling notes in his battered notebook. He looked up, and a strange look flooded his face, half anticipation and half... something else, something Via had never seen in his eyes before.

 

 "Hi, Via," he said. "What happened, honey? I've been waiting all day for you to..."

 

 He was interrupted by a very loud, happy chirp. Rudiger took a flying leap off Via's shoulder, landed on top of the computer, slid to the desk and sat on the keyboard, squeaking rapidly at the top of his tiny lungs and tapping the screen with his paw.

 

Varian's mouth dropped open. _"Rudiger!_ " he exclaimed, grinning. "Where'd you come from?"

 

The raccoon squeaked again, rubbing up against the computer screen lovingly. Via smiled.

 

 "He found me in the park today. I didn't even know he was still, you know, around. I guess it must be Auradon magic or something."

 

 "Nope," Varian said. "Actually, I know exactly what it is. You remember that, uh, incident with the serum I gave him?"

 

 Via remembered. That was the only thing that Varian regretted doing on that disastrous night, "because Rudiger was the only one who didn't deserve it," he'd said. But she kept that to herself, simply nodding.

 

 "Well, that was a highly unusual serum," Varian said. "And there was a chance, when I used it, that it would slow down his aging. By the looks of it, that's exactly what happened."

 

 "Thank goodness for that," Via said, cuddling the raccoon close. "I could use a good friend right now."

 

 She meant it to be just a statement, but Varian knew her too well. "Okay, sit down," he said. "Something's bothering you and I want to know what it is."

 

 Via sighed. She hadn't meant to tell him what had happened earlier that day, but now she realized how much she needed to. She tried to pretend that Fairy Godmother wasn't watching and poured out the whole story, not leaving out a single word.

 

Varian listened intently, nodding along, but Via couldn't shake the feeling that something weird was going on with him. There was a strange sparkle in his eyes, an excitement in his face, as if something had happened that made all the little troubles of the day insignificant.

 

When she finished talking, Varian tilted his head to one side, considering her words.

 

 "I'm sorry, Via," he said. "That sounds hard, and I wish I knew what to say to help you. But I don't. I'm just...not the right person to give advice on dealing with, well, girl drama."

 Via looked down at Rudiger, still in her arms. "I know," she said.

 

 "Any chance you'd feel like discussing it with  _me?_ "

 

The voice wasn't Varian's. And at the sound of it, Via's heart skipped a beat.

 

A figure stepped out of the shadows behind Varian, who stood up, with a grin so wide it threatened to split his face, and let the newcomer take the chair in front of the computer.

 

She wasn't a stranger. In fact, Via had seen her many times before, gazing out from the picture she kept on her dresser.

 

The woman was tall, taller than Varian himself, with dark wine-colored hair caught up in a messy bun, half of which spilled down the side of her face. Her skin was pale, her eyes a dark brown. She wore a sleeveless grey shirt that was striped on the top and grey pants. From her neck dangled a tiny grey pendant shaped like a skull, and on her left shoulder was tattooed another skull surrounded by roses. She smiled, the same confident smirk that Via had looked at a thousand times in her one family picture- the picture of her mother.

 

"Mom," she whispered, swallowing a lump in her throat. "Mom, you're back."

 

"You better believe it," Lady Caine said, draping herself over the chair. Her face softened.

 

"Well, what do you know," she said. "You got your father's eyes. And hair. And freckles. And height, apparently."

 

"Hey!" Varian protested.

 

Lady Caine turned around to wink at him before turning back to Via. "But you've got my face," she said, blinking quickly. "If there's one thing I regret, Via, it's not being there to watch you grow up into this."

 

Via felt a tear or two slide down her face, happier tears than she ever remembered. "Mom," she whispered, exulting in the word on her tongue. "Oh my gosh, Mom, where have you been?"

 

"Quicker to ask where I haven't been," Lady Caine said vaguely. Varian shoved the chair over to make room for them both on the screen.

 

"I quite literally ran into your mother just a few days after you left, Vi," he said. "We talked about it, and we decided that we should let you settle in before we...sprung this on you. I didn't want you to have so much to deal with all at once. And now that you seemed to be doing so well, I thought it was a good time."

 

"I know I was gone for a while," Lady Caine said. "And I shouldn't have been. Truth is, I was a self-absorbed, reckless idiot to leave, and your father knew enough to realize that I'd come to my senses eventually."

 

"Caine, you weren't self-absorbed, you were..." Varian began.

 

"Oh, quit making excuses for me, Vari," Lady Caine interrupted. "Point is, I've done a lot of things wrong when it comes to this family, and now I'm gonna make it right." She gazed at Via. "I hope you're not angry with me for leaving, sweetheart. Though I'd understand if you were."

 

"Angry?" Via exclaimed. "Why would I be angry? Mom, I've been waiting for you to come back since...since forever!"

 

Varian and Lady Caine beamed. But before either could say anything, Fairy Godmother, sitting behind Via, finally got her mouth closed and stood up.

 

"I'm sorry," she said, her hands fluttering a mile a minute. "But I'm afraid I must intervene here. This is highly unusual. You-" with a worried glance at Lady Caine- "you're Via's mother?"

 

"I'm a lot of things," Lady Caine retorted, folding her arms across her chest. "But yes, I'm her mother."

 

"Maybe Caine's a few years older than I am," Varian said smoothly. "But it is what it is, and, well, stranger things have happened."

 

Fairy Godmother seemed to struggle to digest that speech, stuttering helplessly. "But this is...this is...I..."

 

"This isn't rocket science," Lady Caine interrupted. "I'm Via's mother. She's got a picture that'll prove it. Kids from the Isle are allowed to speak with their parents, and that's exactly what I am. I haven't seen my daughter in fourteen years and I have quite a lot of catching up to do, so I would appreciate it if you moved out of the way and let me start doing it."

 

"We've never had anything like this happen before!" Fairy Godmother protested.

 

_"C'est la vie,"_ Lady Caine said. "Now, if you'll excuse me?"

 

And, twittering like a large, bewildered bird, Fairy Godmother resumed her seat, scribbling frantically on a piece of paper.

 

Lady Caine settled back in her chair as if the incident had never taken place. "About those girls you were talking about," she said. "Via, I think you already know what to do about them. And when the time comes, you'll be able to...address the situation properly."

 

Her words sounded perfectly innocent, nothing that would raise the alarm in Auradon, but Via knew what they really meant. _Wait for revenge._ She was more than happy to do that.

 

"I'm not so upset about them now," Via said. "In fact they don't even matter to me anymore. Not after this. This-" she gave an incredulous little laugh, still trying to take in what was happening. "This is amazing. I missed you, Mom."

 

"And I missed you," Lady Caine said, smiling. "When do you think I could see you in person, sweetie?"

 

If that wasn't a loaded question, Via didn't know what was. Lady Caine was surreptitiously asking the question that now ruled all three of their lives- _when will The Experiment be ready?_

 

"Soon, I hope," Via said. "Really soon."

 

Varian and Caine exchanged glances, both pairs of eyes glinting ever so slightly.

 

"Well, let's hope that works out," Varian said, and Lady Caine nodded, leaning forward in her seat.

 

"Your father tells me that you're working on a project," she said. "Something really special."

 

"I am," Via said, struggling to hold back an evil grin. "You might say it'll bring down the house."

 

Varian let out a sharp laugh that he quickly disguised as a cough. Lady Caine smacked him playfully on the arm and turned her attention back to Via, crossing her arms behind her head.

 

"Tell me all about it," she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, goodness. Lady Caine. Yes, I know, I have a lot of explaining to do. Allow me to get started.
> 
> I know it's not one of the most popular ships out there for this show. Actually, I don't often ship it either. Via's mother was originally supposed to be Vex. (If you go back to the chapters that discuss Via's mother, you'll notice that I've edited them to fit with Lady Caine).
> 
> However, Vex seems to have left the show now, and, well, she didn't really have a point in my opinion. She wasn't a villain, first off, and second off, she just kinda didn't have anything to do. Plus, Via didn't need somebody who was that pessimistic. Via needs somebody who believes she can win, and somebody who's smart enough to help her do that. Via needs subterfuge, and that seems to be Lady Caine's area of expertise.
> 
> And I know Lady Caine is older than Varian, but she's nowhere near Cassandra's age, and people still ship Varian and Cass, so I rest my case.


	17. Chapter Sixteen: To The Victor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A milestone event in Via's life leads up to the moment she's been working for.

The rest of the school week was a blur for Via. She was almost too ecstatic to sleep on Thursday night. Now when she finally finished The Experiment, she would be reunited not only with the father she loved more than anything else in the world, but with the wild, adventurous mother she hadn't seen in years.

 

She had intended, after the incident in Fairy Godmother's classroom, to stay out of the chemistry lab for a while and let the school move on to other things besides her "villainous behavior" before she showed them the real thing. But she found, after the conversation with Varian, that she couldn't make herself follow through with that plan. She wanted to reunite her family more than she had ever wanted anything else before. _Although I'll admit that revenge is a close second. I definitely still want that._

 

She returned to the chemistry lab on Friday night and thought about her options.

 

All that was missing was the bridge. Varian could use the amber solution to break through the barrier; Via had been wrong in thinking that anything else was needed. But that weakened solution couldn't form the bridge, and unless they had something that could, they were stuck.  _Even if I do find something, how am I gonna get to the Isle in order to use it?_

 

And then she remembered. In all the excitement of meeting her mother, her latest discovery had slipped her mind.  _Oh, that's right. I don't need to find something for the bridge. I've already got it._

 

She slipped the tiny silver key out of her pocket and unlocked the last cabinet for the second time, pulling out the single jar and studying it in the moonlight.

 

_**CORONAN BLACK STONE,**_ the label read in neat black letters. The powdery substance inside, iridescent black with notes of blue, was definitely one and the same thing as the "unbreakable" black spikes outside Via's home. Somehow, some way, someone had figured out how to cut them, even to grind them into this soft powder, the particles no bigger than a grain of sand.

 

Questions had swirled in Via's mind when she read that label. How had they managed to cut the rocks, to do what her father had never done? Why would they do it? Had they cut through the amber as well? What was this powder used for in Auradon, and why had it been hidden away so carefully in this cupboard so that no one could ever find it?

 

But, being the scientist she was, Via had set those questions aside. There was no time to find the answers to them now. Her priority right now was the bridge and the barrier, nothing else. And she had immediately recognized how the black rock powder could help her with that.

 

It was the rocks that had made the original amber so dangerous, so powerful, so unshatterably strong. If it could do that to the full-strength solution, causing crystals that would grow to encase a man, then couldn't a little of this powder, mixed with the weakened amber, make an amber that wouldn't grow, but also wouldn't break when stepped on? Could this liquid form the bridge?

 

 "Well," Via said softly, "it's worth a shot."

 

She knew for a fact that Varian wouldn't be too thrilled if he knew what she was doing. He didn't have to tell her how dangerous the amber was. And he had warned her, perhaps not in words but by the look in his eyes, not to fool around with it.

 

_Sorry, Dad. I don't have a choice._

 

It was ironic, she thought, as she poured some of the weakened amber solution into a bowl. The two things that had wreaked such havoc on her father's life all those years ago- the amber and the black rocks- would now combine to become the very thing that would win Varian's life back. And the royal privilege, the self-centeredness and hypocrisy that had been Rapunzel's saving grace, would now become her undoing. _Look how the tables have turned._

 

It was still a bit strange for Via to think of Rapunzel. Caden and Razelle and Cassandra she had seen and heard and spoken to. But Rapunzel? Rapunzel, for Via, had not yet become a real woman. She was only a character in Varian's stories, stories that were, admittedly, too painful to be made up. Rapunzel floated like a wraith on the edge of Via's life, never directly involved and yet somehow influencing it all. It did not yet seem as if the golden-haired, dreamy-eyed, backstabbing Queen of Corona could really exist. And oh, yes. In Via's version of the story, Rapunzel was the true villain.

 

Something Varian had said once floated back into Via's mind. He had told her many times of the battle in Old Corona and of the events that led up to it. But he never liked to talk about what had happened after that- the cold, lonely days in Corona's dungeon, forgotten, painted in the worst light possible while Rapunzel wore the halo of a heroine, a crown she had not earned. Once, only once, had Via convinced him to tell her something of what those days had been like, and she remembered his reply even now.

 

Rapunzel had tried to talk him out of it, to coax him back to her side, in the royal vault. As if she herself was perfectly innocent, as if the blame lay entirely on Varian's shoulders. 

 

 "She warned me that we both broke the law," Varian had said. "And she was right about that. But when the king said I would pay dearly he meant it. We may have both broken the law, Via, but only one of us ever paid the price for it." There was a shadow in his eyes, and Via did not ask him what that price had been.

 

But what she did know was that the scales had not yet balanced. Justice had not been done. Rapunzel's punishment was still forthcoming, and though Via did not know Varian's plans, she knew that he would be more than willing to inflict it.

 

_And I'm more than willing to help him do that._

 

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and bent to the task in front of her. There was a chance that the black rock powder would only create crystals, just like the full-strength amber did. But there was also a chance that they would do what Via needed them to do.

 

Carefully, carefully, she poured only a fraction of the weakened amber into a glass test tube, holding it up to the light of the moon, watching the ghostly light swirl through the thin golden liquid.

 

Then she set the test tube down and opened the jar of black powder, the jar that had been so carefully hidden away from her. Gently she spooned a tiny amount out of the jar and held the spoon over the tube of amber, pausing for a moment as the implications of what she was doing crashed down on her. This could all go so terribly, terribly wrong...

 

 "If you form crystals," Via told the liquid in the test tube, "please let it be crystals that I can break."

 

She took a deep breath, steadied her shaking hand, and let the two materials meet.

 

The black powder swirled into the amber liquid, and Via's heart beat faster as they both began to glow with a strange, flourescent, alien light. A sound seeped into the silence, a harsh cracking sound. Via stumbled back from the table, expecting any moment to be swallowed up by unbreakable amber crystals.

 

It never happened. As the cracking died away Via edged closer, gazing down at the product of her experiment.

 

Amber. Hard, unbreakable amber that wouldn't shatter and wouldn't grow. Amber that could be walked on, that could form a bridge across the sea from Auradon to the Isle.

 

Now, as long as she was sure it would work on the particles of the bridge...

 

She pulled out the vial of pixie dust she had collected all that time ago. There wasn't much left now, but that didn't worry her. The pixie dust was only a test subject. The bridge and the barrier were the true goals.

 

Quickly, she spilled the rest of the pixie dust in a long line on the table. Now that she was certain her amber was safe, she showed no more hesitancy about using it. She sprinkled some of the black rock powder over the pixie-dust trail and let a few drops of the amber fall onto it.

 

What happened next was something she never could have predicted.

 

The amber hardened. And then it grew. It grew quickly, but not in the form of deadly crystals. The hardened substance spread like a virus along the trail of pixie dust, swallowing it up, never touching anywhere the pixie dust hadn't been spilled. When it reached the end of the pixie dust trail, the growth stopped. Via's mouth dropped open in amazement.

 

 "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, yes, _yes!"_

 

Somehow this new solution could spread itself anywhere that magic existed. It could, as she had theorized, bind itself to the particles that had formed the bridge and make the bridge permanent. She could see herself, in her mind's eye, standing at the edge of the bridge on the Auradon side, letting the solution fall onto what appeared to be thin air. Then the miracle would take place, the amber spreading to conquer what could normally not be seen, making a pathway back to the Isle of the Lost, a pathway back to where Varian would be waiting for her.

 

And then another realization swept over Via with such force that she staggered backwards.

 

It was over. It was all over, now. No more playing the good girl, no more secret experiments in stolen hours. No more hiding her true self, no more worrying what Auradon thought of her. No more playing the game. The game was over, the pieces scattered, the victor crowned. There was nothing left for her to do here, no reason left to stay.

 

_I won._

 

She had done what Varian had asked her to do.

 

_I won._

 

She had infiltrated Auradon, an inside girl that no one would ever suspect.

 

_I won._

 

She had turned back the unforgiving wheel of time, rewritten the story that had condemned her and her father to a life defeated.

 

_I won, I won, I won! I won, Cassandra, and you can tell everyone that you were right about me!_ _I won, Rapunzel, and even your magic hair won't save you this time!_ _I won, Auradon, and there's nothing you could ever do to stop me now!_ _I won!_

 

She couldn't help herself. She may have been a villain, but she was also a sixteen-year-old who had, until this moment, been under unbearable pressure. And now she experienced the incredible feeling of victory for the very first time.

 

And she laughed. Not a sarcastic laugh or a villain's maniacal cackle, but the happy, helpless giggle of so many princesses before her- the laugh of a girl whose dreams had just come true. She laughed, and the moon itself smiled to hear it, looking in at the window, at the schemer with her father's eyes and a blue streak in her hair, at the daughter of an alchemist and a bandit, at the girl who had taken her villainous task, embraced it, and made even a black heart beautiful.

 

Via was a villain. And Via was the victor.

 

She reached for Rudiger, who had watched the proceedings somewhat anxiously (before falling asleep) and cuddled him close. He chittered sleepily, unsure what was happening. But as long as Via was happy, so was he.

 

 "You want to see Dad again, buddy?" Via asked, dangling the streak of blue hair in front of the raccoon's face. "For real this time?"

 

He brightened, replying with an affirmative squeak.

 

 "So do I," Via said. 

 

 She could almost hear the question, the single question yet to be answered before all was completed.

 

  _When?_

 

 "Tomorrow," she answered, though there was no one there to hear. "I'm going back tomorrow."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter. Oh, gosh, this chapter. Via finally gets some happiness for once.
> 
> Also, the black rocks. Am I going to explain how they were finally cut? No, no I am not. There just isn't time in this story. Essentially, since we've seen things in Auradon that were not possible in the original Disney movies, I'm going to assume Auradon's more advanced and can do things that were unimaginable in the original movies. Like cut the black rocks. (Although, within Tangled the Series, we have seen one thing that can cut them, and whether that object was involved...you can draw your own conclusions.)
> 
> And that cliffhanger. Please don't hate me. Next week's chapter...I can't say too much because spoilers, but I will say that the entire fanfic has been building to this point. And it's a wild ride from here.


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Revealing the Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A shocking revelation leads Via to do the unthinkable- let go of her pretenses and show Auradon who she's truly been all along.

Saturdays were different than any other days at Auradon Prep. Breakfast was served an hour later, and students took their time to eat it, milling around the cafeteria socializing and gossiping before heading out, some to shop or otherwise entertain themselves, and others to visit home over the weekend.

 

For Via, this Saturday was unlike any other. This Saturday she was finally heading home.

 

She was up early, barely able to sleep the night before. She took her time about getting dressed for the day, willing Audrey to leave before she finished. As soon as Aurora's daughter was out of the room, Via went to work.

 

Her little black purse was big enough to hold everything she needed without looking conspicuous. Into it she placed the two serums, the bridge solution and the barrier solution, along with the rest of her various vials. In a secure side pocket she slipped the family portrait that had graced her dresser for as long as she could remember. She opened the window and set Rudiger outside on an apple tree branch, knowing he'd be perfectly content to stay there until she called him down as she left the school.

 

She knew it would look suspicious if she didn't show up for breakfast; above all she didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize her position, especially not on today of all days. She sat down at her usual back table in the cafeteria and hoped her excitement and anticipation didn't show on her face.  _Only another hour or so, and I'll be done with this act forever._

 

She was too jittery to eat much. A chocolate muffin was almost more than she could handle. Halfway through eating it, however, another thought hit her.

 

_My notebook!_ She'd left the notebook Varian had given her back in her dorm, under the mattress. Since she had no plans of coming back to Auradon Prep once she left for the Isle, she stood up quickly, dumped the remains of her half-eaten muffin in the trash, and darted up the spiral staircase two at a time.

 

The door to her and Audrey's room hung partly open. Panting for breath, Via stepped inside.

 

And stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the tall dark-haired girl leaning against the wall, flipping through the pages of her notebook.

 

 "Looking for this?" Caden asked innocently. "My, oh my. Looks like someone's followed right in Daddy's footsteps. Notes about the bridge, alchemy formulas, experiment results...wow." She looked up, meeting Via's gaze, and her voice grew cold and hard. "You're trying to destroy the barrier. And I'll give you some credit. It almost worked. But I followed in my mom's footsteps too. And I know better than to trust anything that Varian's had a hand in. Including _you_."

 

Somehow Via found her voice. "You can't prove anything," she fired back. "You don't know when I wrote that or whether I'm still trying to do it. You can't even prove that I wrote it! What if my father did?"

 

 Caden laughed, a sharp, sarcastic laugh. "He didn't. And I don't need this-" she dangled the notebook upside down by one cover- "to prove anything. No, Via, this is just the icing on the cake. I already know everything you're doing. I have for a while now. Let's see." She tapped a finger on her chin, pretending to think. "You've been pulling an act, pretending to be the model reformed villain. But you've been sneaking to the chemistry lab at night, fiddling around with who knows what, trying to figure out what'll break the barrier. And just a few nights back, you miraculously discovered a little silver key on the floor, which led you to that locked cabinet, which held the black rock powder, which- _eureka-_ was just what you needed to break Varian and all the other lowlifes out." She grinned, seeing the stunned look on Via's face. "Don't look so shocked! Guess who put that key there, genius? Yeah, that's right, I did. I knew if you stole a key and opened a locked cabinet, it'd prove you were up to no good. That black rock powder?" She shrugged. "It's commonplace. We use it all the time in second semester. It's no big secret. I made it seem like one because you didn't know that. All those times you thought you were winning? You were just playing my game. All I needed was some rock-solid proof. And now I've got it. It's over, Via."

 

 Via couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Caden's voice swirled like an echo in her ears; a weight seemed to settle on her chest.  _No...this can't be happening. We can't lose again, we just can't lose again!_

 

She didn't realize she'd spoken the words aloud until Caden answered them. 

 

 "But you did lose again. And you'll keep on losing. You always will. No matter what you do,  _you are always going to lose._ That's the way the story goes. Evil doesn't win, Via. _Evil. Never. Wins._ No matter how powerful evil might be, there's always a happy ending." 

 

She closed the notebook with a thud that echoed through Via's numbed mind. "I've already called my mother. She let Ben and Mal know what's going on. The king called an emergency meeting. My mother should be here in a few minutes to _personally_ escort you down there." She smirked again. "And then we'll see this whole mess set straight. You and your father will get what's coming to you, whatever Ben decides that is, and the rest of us will get to enjoy our happy endings. Again."

 

 Only one thought made its way through the barrier of shock around Via's heart, one thought that pulsated within her over and over again. 

 

_Where's_ my _happy ending?_

 

* * *

 

"Help me understand this, Via."

 

King Ben's brown eyes were creased with concern as he met Via's blue gaze. "I don't understand why you would do something like this. I mean, you seemed to be fitting in here, making friends, turning over a new leaf. Help me understand what went wrong. Why would you try to destroy the barrier?"

 

 He glanced around at the others in the room- Mal, sitting beside him; Caden in a chair across the table from Via; Cassandra leaning against the door with her arms folded across her chest. Then he turned his attention back to Via, his tone gentle, coaxing, the kind of voice that raised alarm bells in Via's head.

 

 "We're not judging you," he said. "We're trying to figure this out. Was it your father? Did he threaten you, or...or promise you something, if you did this?"

 

 Ben wasn't giving up unless he got an answer, Via realized, and she scrambled to find one. Maybe, if she played this right, she could still...

 

No. It was over, just like Caden had said; no matter what she said they would be watching her, never trusting, never letting their guard down. She'd failed, plain and simple. They knew what she was.

 

So why hide it?

 

She stated into Ben's eyes for a moment longer, feeling her own go cold and hostile, filling with the evil she had hidden for so long. She threw her head back, laughing scornfully.

 

 "Threaten me?" she scoffed. "He didn't have to. Look, Your Royal Highness, I know what you're doing. You know this is partly your fault, because you let me in here and you didn't even catch onto me until it was almost too late. You're scared because I almost won. And you don't want to accept that responsibility, so you're trying to find some reason why it wasn't your problem, why it was out of your hands. You want to hear me say it? This was all me. My father didn't have to promise me the world, or threaten me or guilt-trip me into anything. All he had to ask was if I would do it, and I was on board from day one. I did this because I  _wanted_ to do it! I  _liked_ it! I loved how it felt to lie to your faces, to watch you step around me and worry that I might be evil on the inside, when all the time you had no idea just how evil I was. I had plans for all of you, big plans, and if I got the chance right now I'd still carry them out. I don't regret a bit of it. I'm not some victim. I'm not your project. _I'm not good._ I'm more of a villain than you ever realized, and the fact that you never even saw it? That's on you." She sat back, her eyes glinting, and smirked as if the game was still in her hands. "So tell me, Your Highness, what's your next move?"

 

Even Mal looked startled. This was more than Auradon had ever prepared for- the daughter of a villain who would go along willingly with her father's schemes. Who would  _embrace_ them _._ Who would come disturbingly close to winning the day.

 

Via wished she could say she found pleasure in that startled look. But she didn't. She had dropped her act, yes, but she was still wearing a mask. Now she was wearing the mask of a remorseless villain, someone who took defeat in stride.

 

But on the inside, she was breaking. She'd come so close, so very, very close, to doing what she had sworn to do. To making her father proud. But once again, like her father before her, the moment of victory had been snatched out of her hands in the very second before she won her battle. She'd failed. And she hated it.  

 

It was ironic, in some sick, twisted way, she thought. That Cassandra's daughter, of all people, had been the one to take her down.  _Well, Caden, I guess we both followed in our parents' footsteps, didn't we? But_ _I'm not going to show you how much that hurts._

 

She would never show it. She would wear the mask. She would save the moments of regret for whatever came next- save them for when she was alone. For now, she had to keep up the act just a little longer.

 

A heavy silence hung over the room. Caden was smiling slyly, obviously pleased that her countermove had so completely devastated her enemy's plans. Ben's eyes were wide and surprised- _why_ , Via thought,  _because I'm more than you expected or because I called you out on your part in this?_

 

The silence was broken by Cassandra's footstep. The tall warrior pulled herself up from the doorway, her eyes cold and hard as she studied Via. Via met her gaze with a false fearlessness, determined not to let Cassandra see her break.

 

 "Well," Cassandra said acidly. "Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all. You really do remind me of your father. You are absolutely unrepentant, aren't you? Just like him."

 

 "What do I have to be sorry for?" Via shot back. "I'd do it all again if I could. You let me do it, thinking I'd change. But I-" she smiled, a villain's cruel, crafty smile. "I made you no promises. I know better than that. You don't keep those too well."

 

 A sob rose up in her throat. She choked it back soundlessly.  _Not yet, not yet. Hold it together, Via, just a little longer._

 

Cassandra's eyes flashed fire. For a moment she looked as if she might lash out; then, abruptly, she turned to King Ben. "She asked a good question," she said. "What's our next move?"

 

 Ben, however, looked lost, his eyes wide with shock, his face blank. Mal squeezed his hand. "I don't know," he whispered softly. "I- I don't know."

 

 "I do," Cassandra said. She slammed both hands on the table with an impact that echoed through the room. "You heard what she said. She may have done this willingly but she did not do this alone. This wasn't her idea. It was Varian's. And what we need to do now is find out how much of it he was involved in, because rest assured he will have a plan B. We need to visit the Isle. We need to talk to her father."

 

On the table her fingers curled into a fist. "And I want to be there."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DON'T KILL ME.
> 
> Seriously, this chapter hurt. A lot. Especially after reading all your comments about how excited you were to see Via get her revenge. Yeah, we're gonna have to take a rain check on that.
> 
> Before I go on, I do want to let you guys know that I am NOT taking a holiday hiatus. Since Christmas Eve is a very long and boring day for most of us, I plan to post the next chapter then, just to give us all something to do. That said, back to the chapter.
> 
> This has been planned since the beginning of the story. This is our Secret of the Sundrop moment. For Via, this is like when Rapunzel grabbed those rocks. It's the beginning of the end. We're not quite done yet, and where we're going from here I won't say just yet, but yeah, this chapter...ouch. Fair warning that the next one kinda hurts too.
> 
> Aaaaannnd I just realized that none of what I just said is making anyone feel any better. I'll stop talking now. *hides under a table*


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Return to the Isle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Via returns to the Isle to give her father the hardest message she has ever had to give- that she failed.

Things really had come full circle, Via thought dismally, burying her fingers in Rudiger's fur. The little raccoon had scrambled onto her shoulder as she was escorted from the school, and something in Via's face stopped even Cassandra from trying to take him away from her. 

 

Here she was again, back where she had been only a few short weeks before- staring out the window of a royal limo, watching the swirling golden particles of the bridge to the Isle. Caden sat across from her, watching her smugly; Cassandra occupied the driver's seat. Another limo, in front of them, carried Mal and Ben.

 

But things were so different this time. This was no triumphant return. She was not heading out to fight for the Isle. Her fight was over. She was coming back defeated. She had given it her best, and that had not been enough. Like Mal and Uma, she had failed on the very cusp of victory. It seemed more unlikely than ever now that the people of the Isle would ever be free.  _Why do we keep trying? Auradon is just too strong._

 

Rudiger patted her face comfortingly, and the gentle touch nearly broke her down.  _Just a bit longer, Via, and then you can let go. But not in front of them. You can't let them see how much you're hurting. That means they've won._

 

But really, they already had.

 

Life was strange sometimes. In a way, her plans were coming to fruition- she was going back to the Isle. But the circumstances were so very changed. Her heart was pounding, her palms clammy with sweat, her feelings too complicated and difficult to name. Caden had noticed her nervousness. She chuckled a little, her dark eyes vindictive, delighting in the fall of her villain, a villain who had never truly had the chance to be one. Via pretended not to hear. But she heard anyway.

 

The ride did not last nearly long enough. For the first time in her sixteen years, Via dreaded seeing her father. Not because she was afraid of his reaction, but because she hated having to tell him that he was defeated once again.

 

The two limos stopped a short distance from the entrance to the Isle, and the bridge stopped disintegrating with them. "Out," Cassandra ordered crisply, and Via had no choice but to exit the limo, setting her feet down, for the first time, on the magic bridge.

 

 She looked up, drawing in her breath sharply as her heart constricted within her.

 

He was there. Watching her. Standing on the other side of the barrier, his arms folded over his chest.

 

Varian.

 

He was dressed as he had not dressed for years- in a dark teal and black tunic, his raven, blue-streaked hair hanging over his blazing silvery blue eyes. A short cape fell across his shoulders, black on the outside, striped teal and black on the inside. The staff was in his hand, the old staff topped with three glowing vials, and a battered leather satchel was slung across his shoulder.

 

There was nothing in his face, anger in his eyes. Via nearly cried out aloud. _I'm so sorry..._

 

But then she realized the anger was not for her.

 

Cassandra stepped forward, in front of the king and his girlfriend, inches from the barrier, hands on hips.

 

 "Cassie," Varian said, voice hard and bitter, lips curled in a sneer. "I wish I could say this was a pleasure."

 

 Cassandra ignored the taunt. "Where's her mother?" she demanded, jerking her head back toward Via.

 

 "Caine's out having a chat with a...friend of the family," Varian said cryptically. "I saw no need to bring her into this."

A friend of the family? If there was one thing their family had never had, it was friends. But Via had no time to wonder. Cassandra was speaking again.

 

 "So you know why we're here, then," she said. 

 

 "Of course."

 

 "And what, exactly, do you have to say about it?"

 

 But before Varian could answer, King Ben stepped forward. "No," he said. "I want to hear what Via has to say."

 

  _But I don't want you to hear that._  The tiny, protesting voice echoed through Via's head. She couldn't, she just couldn't, face Varian like this. Not here, not now, and definitely not in the present company.

 

But she had no choice.

 

She stepped forward, coming face to face with her father for the first time in a very long while. She couldn't meet those eyes, so like her own; she focused instead on the shimmering gold at her feet. Her fingers clenched in Rudiger's fur, and he nuzzled her hand comfortingly. But his black eyes were focused on his master, standing just inside the barrier, watching his daughter with nothing in his gaze. Somehow that expressionless look was more condemning than if he'd shouted and raged like the other villain parents. Via's heart nearly broke all over again.

 

 "I really did try, Dad," Via said quietly. "I tried my hardest. I did everything you told me. I did my best, my very best, and I came close to winning for you. But...I guess I wasn't good enough."

 

 No reaction from her father. Something in Via cried out to be released.

 

She couldn't hold it back any longer. She couldn't deny herself anymore. She had let herself be the villain, but she had not let herself be human yet. 

 

Standing there, on the bridge, with her enemies behind her and her father separated by a barrier that would now never be broken, Via took off her last mask.

 

 "I thought I could do this," she said, voice breaking, a lump rising in her throat. "I thought I could do everything you wanted me to do. And I wanted to do it. I loved it. I lived for it. Because you loved me, and you lived for me, and all I wanted was to earn that love. All I ever wanted was...was to make you proud."

 

Something twisted in Varian's face, something almost like pain, but he said nothing. Via plunged onward, emotions pouring out of her as the words tumbled over each other, a flood held back by a dam that had now been shattered.

 

 "I wanted to fix things!" Via cried. "I wanted to give you what you deserved, Dad, because neither of us ever got anything like justice and I wanted to make it right! But it all went wrong, it all went so, so wrong, and I don't even know why! I thought I was winning, I thought... I thought evil could win just  _for once,_ but I was wrong, I was wrong! And now I've just made things worse, and no matter what we do we are never going to get _our_  happily ever afters!"

 

 A sound, almost like a sob, rose in her throat. "And I know why!" she shouted. "Because happily ever after isn't for people like us! Because for every person who gets called the hero, someone has to be the villain, and the villain never, ever gets to win! No one cares about our side of the story, no one cares what happens to us once good gets to 'The End!' No one realizes that in our eyes it's the heroes who are the villains because nobody cares enough to look!"

 

 There was heat rising in her eyes now, a moist heat that made her blink quickly, a lump in her throat that she could not seem to swallow down. Her voice shook. "And I thought I could fix that, I thought I could show the world that not everything is black and white! I thought I could turn things around for us, and I thought I could make things better! I thought I could help you get your revenge, because we've waited so long for it. I wanted revenge of my own. I wanted...I wanted..."

 

 She knew what that heat was now. It was tears, the same tears she had never let herself cry. They were welling up in her eyes, spilling down over her freckled cheeks, splashing into Rudiger's fur, hot and wet and out of place. She didn't even raise a hand to wipe them away. For once in her life, she simply let them come.

 

 "I wanted to be a family," she sobbed. "I wanted...to make things better...so that we could be a family together. And then Mom came back, and you...you were so happy, and I've never seen you that happy, and I just...I wanted it to stay. I wanted you to be happy with me, and I wanted to make you proud. That's all I've ever wanted, Dad, just to make you proud of me."

 

The tears were falling quickly now, soaking her neck, the collar of her shirt, dripping down to fall onto the bridge. She couldn't even look at him, couldn't even bring herself to see what his reaction was.

 

"But I couldn't," she managed to get out through her sobs. "I couldn't, I couldn't! I failed, Dad, I failed you. I failed. I lost the battle. I lost everything. There's nothing left. I've ruined it all. We have no chance now, and I don't care if you don't ever speak to me again, because I deserve that. I messed everything up. And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." 

 

She'd run out of words. There was nothing left to say. Silence fell over the bridge. No one said a thing. No one moved a muscle.

 

Via's heart was broken into a thousand pieces. She could feel herself coming apart, feel her soul beginning to crumble like clay. She was irreparably broken, damaged, beyond repair. She had nothing left to give, nothing left to say, and still her father stood there silent. Via's heart reached out for him, longing to hear him say something, anything. Anything was better than this terrible, condemning silence, a silence like the grave, a silence that was nearly killing her every second it went on.

 

_I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...Say something, please just say something...tell me you hate me...tell me I failed...tell me anything you want, just tell me something...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...please just look at me, just say something to me...I'm sorry...I failed...I'm sorry..._

 

Her thoughts were a jumble, an incoherent mess of regret and longing and fear, mixing together like chemicals in a vial, stealing away her resolve, her pride, every last bit of her strength. She swayed, her legs nearly buckling under her, but the bridge was too narrow for her to fall and she forced herself to stay steady. Her sobbing had stopped. The tears hadn't.

 

"I'm sorry," she whispered again, this time saying the words out loud, and in that cruel and total silence they felt as loud as a clap of thunder. 

 

A black cloud passed over the sun. For a single moment more the silence reigned, powerful and painful, threatening to take Via in its awful, suffocating folds and break what was left of her in pieces. For a single moment defeat hung heavy over the Isle of the Lost.

 

 

AND

 

THEN

 

THAT

 

MOMENT

 

 

**ENDED**.

 

A splintering crash shattered the silence, the discordant sound of breaking glass blending with a harsh and all-too-familiar crack. Via looked up, her tear-stained eyes taking it in- the shattered vial on the Isle ground, the amber liquid running down the barrier wall, changing it to hard transparent amber crystal, crystal as thin as paper, crystal that could break.

 

Varian took a single step forward. Forward onto the grimy Isle street. Forward through the barrier as if it were not there, forward onto the glowing golden bridge.

 

His blue eyes locked with his daughter's, sparkling and sinister all at once, the eyes of a villain who had both earned and exulted in the name. He brushed a few shards of what had been the barrier from his tunic and shrugged his shoulders.

 

"Sorry for what, Via?" he asked, the ghost of a smile playing around his lips.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there's that. Don't worry, we're not done yet, but I did want to give this particular chapter to you guys on this particular day, as a little Christmas gift for all the lovely readers who have stuck with me and Via up till now. Merry Christmas to all, and may God bless every one of you this Christmas.
> 
> (Oh yeah, and I'd love to hear any guesses on who this mysterious "friend of the family" is! She will be important, is all I'm saying).


	20. Chapter Nineteen: The Broken Barrier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the barrier broken, Auradon is left defenseless to Via and Varian’s plans of revenge- but first they’ll have to fight their way out.

The earth trembled. The cracks raced farther up the barrier, spreading and splitting wider, breaking down Auradon’s defense. The sunny blue sky turned an ominous black and green; thunder boomed overhead.

Via didn’t notice. She wasn’t even sure she was breathing at the moment.

  
He was there, smiling wickedly, on the other side of the barrier. He held out his gloved hand.

  
Via caught her breath and stared at him for a single second. And then, with a half-disbelieving laugh, she flung herself across the bridge, straight into Varian’s arms. He embraced her tightly, looking deep into her eyes, and that single look said all that needed to be said between them.

  
But another voice broke in. A harsh voice, rough and angry.

Cassandra had been thrown off-balance by the tremors of the broken barrier. Now she struggled to her feet, hate in her eyes.  
“What did you do?” she demanded. “Varian, what did you do?”

  
Via stepped to her father’s side, and he placed a hand on her shoulder as he answered.

  
“Do? What do you think I did, Cassandra, are you blind?” He laughed. “I just defeated you.”

  
“You wish,” Cassandra growled, pulling her sword from her side.  
Her hand moved fast, but Varian’s moved faster, his voice hard and dangerous and cold.

  
“Not. One. Step.”

  
Cassandra stopped, her eyes widening. Varian held something in his hand- a tiny glass ball filled with blood-red liquid. He raised his voice to address everyone standing on the bridge.

  
“If anyone so much as makes a move toward the Isle, they are going to pay for it. This little beauty is one of my daughter’s ideas. It’ll turn anything it touches red hot on impact. So if you even dare to point that sword at me, Cassandra-“ he hissed the last word mockingly- “I will melt it out of your hands.”

  
There was a moment of shocked silence as the truth dawned on every Auradonian present. Varian was not joking. Even Via had to admit she was a little impressed. 

  
It was, of course, the ever-diplomatic Ben who stepped forward, hands raised in a pacifying gesture.

  
“Then we’ve got a problem,” he said. “You won’t let us get near the Isle, and we’re standing here stopping you from crossing the bridge. We’re at an impasse.”

  
Varian threw his head back with a laugh. “Oh, no we’re not,” he said. “No, Your Majesty, you and everyone you’ve brought with you are going to get back in your fancy cars and head back to Auradon as fast as you can go, and do you know why?”

  
“Enlighten us,” Mal snapped.

  
“Gladly. You see that?” Varian jabbed a finger at the dark clouds in the sky. “Do you know what that is, Lady Mal? That is all the power that was kept underneath that fragile little barrier, locked up with the villains who once wielded it. It’s been trapped, but it’s been getting stronger at the same time, much like myself, actually. And now it’s free, and it is literally racing for your perfect little country in a dark, deadly wave. Now I know you think you can handle it, what with your Fairy Godmother and all, but you can’t stop it. And let me pose one question, sweetheart- what exactly do you think that wave of dark power might do when it reaches that tiny little lizard in your library, hmm?”

  
Mal’s face drained of color. Via let an evil grin split her own face as she mentally applauded.

  
Because there was no doubt what that lizard would become, and by the look on Ben’s face, he knew it too.

  
“Maleficent,” he whispered.

  
“Exactly,” Varian said. “Oh, but not just her. Every villain trapped on the Isle of the Lost is going to be heading for Auradon too, any minte now. And here we’ve all got enemies, enemies that we just can’t wait to see again. After all, we have had ten years to plot our revenge! All those kings and queens and princes and princesses that make up your kingdom are going to be facing their worst enemies for a second round. And I can’t promise it’ll end the same way this time.” He dropped his casual tone.

  
“So turn around and run.”

  
There was a moment of profound silence. And then, with a furious cry, Cassandra threw herself toward Varian, sword upraised.  
He sidestepped, bringing his staff around to meet her sword, throwing his head back with a wild, spiteful laugh.

  
If it had just been Cassandra, he probably would have used the glass sphere, as he'd threatened, and been done with it. But Cassandra's shout seemed to be the signal for every Auradonian on the bridge to rush forward as well, in a foolhardy, desperate last stand, Caden and Ben drawing swords, and Mal balancing green flame in her hand.

  
Varian stepped up to meet them, pulling his satchel over his head and tossing it to Via, gripping the staff in both hands like one of the quarterstaffs the boys at Auradon Prep used in advanced weapons training.

  
"There's your weapon, Vi!" he shouted. "If they want to do this the hard way, we'll do it the hard way!"

  
Via blinked, then grinned as she realized what her father meant. Caden rushed at her, her face knit in a savage snarl. Via took three quick steps back, off the bridge and onto the grimy street of the Isle. Caden followed, swinging her sword fiercely. Via dipped her hand into the satchel, drawing out two vials and hurling them down at Caden's feet. Caden gave a startled cry as the two chemicals ignited with a bright flash.

  
Via laughed out loud. Villainy was more fun than she'd thought it would be.

  
She and Varian quickly worked out an unspoken system. Varian handled Cassandra and Ben with the staff, while Via and the satchel full of alchemy took care of Caden and Mal.

  
Cassandra's eyes darkened as she realized that Varian and Via weren't going down as easily as she'd counted on. "Ben!" she shouted. "You and Mal get back to the cars!"

  
Huh? For a moment the order baffled Via, but then she realized what Cassandra's plan was. If Ben and Mal took the two limos back to Auradon, the bridge would vanish. It would trap Caden and Cassandra, yes, but it would also trap the villains.

  
Varian seemed to understand too. "Ah-ah-ah," he said. "We can't have that, Cassie." He raised his voice. "Via, sweetheart, how about making that bridge a permanent fixture?"

  
Oh. Oh! In all the excitement and turmoil of the day, Via had forgotten that she still carried the materials to harden the bridge. She thrust her hand into her black purse. Caden leapt at her, hand outstretched, but she sidestepped, letting the vial of amber shatter on the bridge, followed by the jar of rock powder.

  
The amber cracked to life, racing across the length of the bridge just as it had on the trail of pixie dust. Varian grinned. "That's my girl.” He blinked. “Wait, did you just use what I think you used? Via, do you have any idea what that could have--"

  
"Now is not the time, Dad!"

  
Out of the corner of her eye, Via spotted movement on the Isle. A pirate or two, watching from the shadows, gaping at the barrier. She knew how the Isle worked. Within moments every last villain would be on the bridge, heading for Auradon. She smirked.

  
"Hey, Dad," she called. "I think the calvary's on the way."

  
Varian glanced back at the Isle, blocking a sword stroke from Ben as he did so. "Well, would you look at that?" he said. "I know you want to tear me to pieces, Cassie, but do you feel like taking the rest of the Isle on while you're at it?"

  
Ben lowered his sword, panting for breath. "He's right, Cassandra! We can't do this! Not here, not now! We need to go back to Auradon and get help."

  
"What he said." Varian whirled the staff around as he said the words. "Although I don't know how much your perfect little kingdom's gonna be able to do. But hey, you can try. It'll make it a little more interesting."

  
"This isn't over, Varian," Cassandra snarled. He shrugged.

  
"Of course it isn't. I’ll meet you in Corona, Cassie.” Varian folded his arms across his chest, tilting his head to one side as he grinned. “Do me a favor and let Rapunzel know I'm coming for her, will you?“

  
Cassandra didn’t answer, following her daughter to the limo. The long black vehicles streaked away, their wheels squealing on the crystallized bridge, leaving the alchemist and his daughter alone at the edge of the Isle.

  
“Well,” Varian said, running a hand through his hair. “That was a long time coming. And I have to say, I very much enjoyed it.” He met Via’s gaze, and his eyes grew soft.

  
“You did it,” Via said. “Dad, you did it.”

  
Varian shook his head. “No, Via, you did it. Sure, I helped out a little at the end, but this is your doing, sweetheart. I could never have done anything without you doing what you did over there.”

  
“Speaking of which,” Via said. “How’d you know I’d figured out the bridge? I never got the chance to tell you before Caden...you know.”

  
“Caden found you out?” Varian mused. “Huh. Like mother, like daughter, I guess. Anyway, Via, the bridge was a risky move. I couldn’t know for sure that you’d done it, but, well, Cassie had that look in her eye that meant she’d snatched a win right out of somebody’s hands, so I figured you had the bridge done and I just kind of went with it. By the way, was that powder made of those black rocks?”

  
“Yep,” Via said. “I have absolutely no idea how they cut them, but they worked.”

  
“Yeah,” Varian said. “About that. If you ever do anything as dangerous as mixing those rocks with that amber again, I’ll...well, I don’t know what I’ll do, but I’ll do...something.”

  
A faint chittering noise stopped Via from replying, and Rudiger wriggled his way out from underneath a large rusty can, looking at Varian with bright eyes. Varian knelt down, holding out a gloved hand.

  
“Hey, buddy,” he said softly, blinking away a sheen that might have been tears. “Been a long time, huh? I’m all grown up, see?”

  
Rudiger squeaked, scampering up Varian’s outstretched arm and onto his shoulder, petting his face with a tiny black paw. Varian laughed, standing up and stroking the raccoon’s soft fur.

  
“Via,” he said softly. “I want you to know something. You don’t ever have to worry about making me proud, okay? I’m as proud of you as I think I could possibly be. And even if I never broke that barrier, even if we never left this Isle, I still would be. Don’t ever forget that.”

  
Via nodded, throwing her arms around him. “What do we do now?” she asked.

  
“We wait for your mother,” Varian answered. “She should be here in just a minute.”

  
“Who’s the family friend she’s talking to?”

  
“Someone who’s going to help us with Phase 2 of this whole thing,” Varian said. “You’ll find out who she is soon.”

  
“Do I get to meet her?”

  
Varian snorted. “Not a chance. That woman even scares me. I don’t want you anywhere near her.”

  
He glanced over her shoulder. “I think we’ve got an audience.” He and Via turned around at the same moment.

  
Villains crowded the streets, pushing and shoving and staring at the barrier. “Are you the one who broke it?” one of them shouted to Varian. He shook his head, pushing Via forward. “Nope. She is.”

  
That got their attention. Surprised murmurs ran along the crowd.

Varian, laughing, held his hands up. “Easy, easy, it’s open to everyone now. Believe me, we’ve all got scores to settle in Auradon.”

  
“So what do we do?” a random pirate shouted, and Varian smirked. 

  
“Do? That’s an easy one. Go find your kids.” His jaw tightened. “And when you’re done with that, go find your enemies.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this chapter is early. I’m actually on vacation and wanted to get this out as the WiFi allows. I’m so sorry I haven’t replied to any comments, things are crazy busy for me right now, but please keep commenting and I will respond as soon as I get back from vacation. And who do you think this mysterious family friend is?


	21. Chapter Twenty: Weak Spots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the way to Corona to meet the woman who tore their lives apart, Via gets to know her mother- and learns a bit more about her father’s darkest fear.

True to Varian's word, Lady Caine made her reappearance in just a few minutes' time, glancing around at the crystallized bridge, the shattered barrier and random villains gaping at it, and the broken glass and other carnage left from the battle. "What?" she said. "You didn't save anything for me?"

 

 "You'll get your chance," Varian laughed. "We're not done with this yet. I've still got a princess to see."

 

 " _We've_  got a princess to see," Via corrected. "She's a part of my story too, Dad."

 

Varian didn't answer. He only reached out and squeezed her tightly against his side. "Let's get to Corona," he said. "We've waited long enough."

 

Via didn't ask where the little blue car came from. She also didn't ask how her mother knew how to drive it. There were some things about where Lady Caine had been for the last decade that she just didn't want to know.

 

 "So, how'd it go?" Varian asked Caine, once they were over the bridge and headed for Corona. "With her, I mean.”

 

 Caine scoffed. "Met me at the door with a dagger in her hand."

 

 Varian grinned. "Shocker."

 

 "She was a little suspicious at first. Had no idea who I was. No surprise there; she was gone before I came on the scene. But once I explained who I was, where I came from and what you and Via were up to, she warmed right up to me. Didn't believe me about the barrier, though, at least till she saw a nice big crystallized chunk of it drop out of the sky."

 

 "So what'd you tell her?"

 

 "Just what you told me to. That we had a common interest and a common enemy, and that if she let us go ahead with this little plan of yours, she could have her battle with Princess Sunshine when we were through."

 

 "And she agreed?" 

 

 "Completely.”

 

 "Excellent."

 

 Via, by now utterly mystified, settled back in the back seat, her brow furrowing. 

 

_I'm_ _really_ _wanting_ _to_ _know_ _who_ ” _she"_ _is_.  _And_ _how_ _is_  “ _she"_ _going_ _to_ _help_ _us_ _make_ _Rapunzel_ _pay?_ _What_ _is_ _Dad_ _planning?_

 

She found her thoughts turning in another direction. Even now, as they were headed for the kingdom that had so betrayed and wounded her father, as they grew closer to the final confrontation with the woman who was responsible for everything wrong in their lives, that woman still did not seem real. Rapunzel was a phantom to Via, a specter on the edge of her life, directing it all, the cause of it all, but still nothing more than a name.

 

What would she be like, Via found herself wondering? Would she look like a traitor, like a liar and a backstabber, or would she look innocent and trustworthy? When Varian revealed his plans to her, would she challenge him, fight against him, or plead for mercy? Would she show any regret at all for what she had done? Or would she lay the blame, as the rest of Corona had, solely on Varian's shoulders? Via had found it easy to hate Rapunzel when she was only a name. Would she be so easy to despise once she became a person?

 

There were signs outside the car windows now, signs that Auradon was feeling the effects of the broken barrier. The streets had emptied of Auradonian citizens, who had apparently hoped to hide from the coming influx of their enemies. The dark clouds had swallowed the sky completely now, black and green and purple, like a darker version of Mal's favorite color scheme.

 

Mal. What were Mal and the rest of the villain kids doing, now that their evil parents had returned? Some would probably choose their parents' side; others, like Mal and her friends, would stand against them. Still others would hide away in fear, for not all of the Isle parents were as caring and protective as Varian. Certainly the ones who had chosen to "go good" would have a rough time of it. But Via had no pity for them in the least.  _Serves_ _them_ _right_ _for_ _betraying_ _the_ _Isle_.

 

And what about the children of the Auradonians? Fleeing back to their parents, most likely, to either hide from or face their nemeses. There was no way Caden and Cassandra could have reached Corona yet, but perhaps Razelle had. The entirety of Auradon Prep had seen the limos depart for the Isle, the barrier come down, the bridge crystallize. They all knew Via was the one responsible. Was Razelle, even at this moment, telling her parents who had done the deed, who was heading for them as she spoke?

 

And Maleficent. Had the power wave reached her? Had the Mistress of All Evil returned to face her daughter once again? Audrey would be in a panic, Via thought, and she smiled to herself.  _Best_ _of_ _luck_ , _roomie_. _You're_ _gonna_ _need_ _it_.

 

She cuddled Rudiger close, and the raccoon gave a contented squeak. Clearly the chubby little critter was on cloud nine, right in the middle of the people he loved. And Varian, finally on the winning side of the game, was as excited as Via had ever seen him, his blue eyes glittering with anticipation. Even Lady Caine seemed more at ease.

 

 "So how'd you do it?" she asked Varian. "The barrier. What'd I miss?"

 

 "Our daughter pouring her heart out, for one thing," Varian said. "Letting her guard down, showing them who she really is. I could barely keep quiet, I was so proud of her. As soon as she got done I threw a vial of amber at the bridge and that was that. It shattered like glass. By now the whole thing's probably collapsed. And with all that power hanging around the Isle now, they won't be able to put it back up for a good long time."

 

 "And then you had it out with Lady McStabs-A-Lot."

 

 "Uh...if you mean Cassie, then yes. And while I was doing that, Via finished up with the bridge."

 

 Lady Caine laughed. "I would've liked to see that."

 

 "You'll see a lot more than that by the time we're done here," Varian said.

 

* * *

 

Via had to admit one thing, at least. Corona was beautiful, all sprawling fields and forests instead of city and street like the main part of Auradon. The air felt clean and fresh and energizing, the atmosphere peaceful and content. 

 

Or maybe that was just Via. Because it was clear that word of the broken barrier had already reached Corona, along with the news that it was one of their own villains who had made it happen. There were no citizens on the quiet lanes, not a soul to be seen in the quaint little villages, no cars to share the road with theirs.

 

Lady Caine seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Wonder what's going through their slow little minds right now?" she mused aloud. "The ones who treated us like garbage when we had nothing at all. What are they thinking now that we've got this kingdom in the palms of our hands?" She elbowed Varian. "What do you think, Vari?"

 

"Mmm," Varian replied, his gaze fixed out the window and his eyes far away. Lady Caine's face softened. 

 

 "Are you scared?" she asked. "About seeing her again."

 

 "Scared? No, no. I never feared her. Cassie was a different matter, but she always tried to beat me with brute force and that  _never_  worked. Actually, it's myself I'm worried about."

 

 Via frowned. "Why, Dad?”

 

 Varian drew in a long sigh. "Because, Vi. I'm the reason I didn't win this battle on that night with the black rocks. I could have done it, I know I could have. I had backup plans, and backup plans for my backup plans. If I'd kept it together, they never would have gotten outside that house until I had what I wanted. But then the queen escaped, and I saw them clasped in each other's arms, enjoying exactly the thing they'd taken from me as if I didn't even exist. And I broke down, just for a moment. And that was all it took to throw me off track enough for Rapunzel to win."

 

He was quiet for a long moment. "I don't want that to happen again," he confessed. "Because if I slip up, if I let her get in my head again, it's not just me who pays the price. We all do. And I don't want that happening to my family, but I don't know if I have the strength to keep from...losing it. She knows my weak spots, and she knows how to use them."

 

 "Oh, please," Lady Caine said. "The personification of sunshine and rainbows, exploiting your weaknesses? Trust me, the only plan of attack she's  _ever_  had is to throw a frying pan at your head. She might get in your head just because of who she is and what she's done, but she doesn't know how to play mind games like that. And she won't stop you this time. Know why?"

 

 Varian shook his head.

 

 "Because you've got us. Your family may be your weak spot, but it's also your strength. With us in that room when you confront her, you're not going to give her half a chance to break you down, because I know you, Varian, and you would rather die than let something happen to your family again. You lost last time because you were fighting alone. When you've got something to fight  _for_ , it all changes. Watch. When we get up there you are going to be as evil as any villain on the Isle and as absolutely unbreakable as those stupid rocks." She leaned over, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Which is just the way I like you." Varian grinned, his eyes regaining their sparkle.

 

 Via rolled her own eyes.  _Okay_ , _so_ _that's_ _the_ _downside_ _of_ _having_   _Mom_ _back_. _Disgusting_. _But_ _if_ _I_ _have_ _to_   _deal_ _with_ _them_ _making_ _up_ _for_ _lost_ _time_ _to_ _have_ _my_ _family_ _back_ _together_ , _I_ _guess_ _I_ _can_ _handle_ _a_ _little_ _bit_ _of_ _mushy_. _A_ _very_ _little_ _bit_. _Still_... _ewww_.

 

It didn't take much longer to reach the castle. Lady Caine swerved off the road, hiding the car in a thick cluster of trees, and they walked the last seven minutes or so to reach the heart of Corona's government.

 

It was certainly a pretty place, built on a high layered terrace, rising above another handful of old-fashioned houses. Its walls were a soft cream color, the roofs and turrets brown or shimmering emerald green. Ordinarily it would have stood proudly above the kingdom, a faithful guardian.

 

Now, though, with the black and green and purple clouds swirling above it, it seemed to cower on the hill, shrinking away from what was coming. Via grinned. _Too_ _late_. _We're_ _already_ _here_.

 

They took a side route up to the castle, keeping to the trees. Lady Caine held a silver dagger and carried another in her boot. Varian had his staff in his hand, and Via wore the satchel over her shoulder, just in case.

 

 "That's weird," Varian said in a whisper. "No guards around. Either that means they've laid down their arms and left things wide open for us, or Cassie beat us here and has them all clustered around Rapunzel." 

 

"Would Rapunzel have tried to evacuate?" Caine asked. Varian snorted.

 

 "I doubt it. She'd want to get every last citizen out before she went anywhere, and she just didn't have enough time to do that. She's here, all right. But where, I don't know.”

 

 He turned to Via. "Can you look in that satchel, Vi? See if there's a jar of sparkly green powder. We might need it."

 

 "Here," Via said, shifting Rudiger from her arms to her shoulder, handing her father the jar and smiling as she did so. She knew exactly what it was. Varian smiled back.

 

As they approached the castle wall, they stopped and lay down in a clump of bushes to decide on their next move.

 

 "I'll admit, I have no idea where to go from here," Varian said. "The only ways I've ever gotten in are through the front door, or through the gate of the dungeons. I don't think the first one's an option and I'd rather not repeat the second." He looked at his wife. "Well, Caine? You're the bandit. Can you get us in?"

 

 "I can do it," Caine replied, jerking her head towards the jar of green powder. "But it's gonna be quite the dramatic entrance. And you are definitely going to need  _that_."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one or maybe two chapters left to go on this, guys! Thanks so much for sticking with me this long! We will find out who this mysterious “she” is eventually, and I think her identity will surprise a lot of you. 
> 
> Unfortunately, the only thing I’m not going to really explore in this story is what Via’s Auradon looks like, or how things change once she gets through, who picks which side and all that. There’s just not enough time to do it all. But that means you have free rein to speculate who stayed good and who returned to evil. 
> 
> Make sure to drop by next Monday to see the final confrontation between Varian and Rapunzel, and the identity of the mysterious friend revealed! See you then!


	22. Chapter Twenty-One: No Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Via and Varian face down the princess who started it all.

Things happened quickly after that, almost too quickly for Via to remember them clearly afterwards. Lady Caine's plan proved to be a simple one: get through the main hallways of the palace, where no one expected them to strike, and take the guards out of commission using the contents of the jar- sleeping powder, the same weapon that Varian had once used on the queen of Corona. It was a bold plan, but it worked, and almost before Via had time to realize what was happening, Lady Caine was kicking in the door of the throne room.

 

And then, just as it had sped up only a few seconds before, blurring the details of events, time slowed down, prolonging the length of every second, burning every minute detail of the scene into Via's memory.

 

Caden and Cassandra stood against one wall, next to a thickly set, dark-skinned man whom Via assumed was Caden's father. Against the other wall stood Razelle, next to a tall man with dark hair-  _that's gotta be Flynn Rider_ , Via thought- and another man with greying hair, dressed in armor. She could guess who he was, too- Cassandra's father, the Captain of the Guard.

 

And against the back wall, seated on Corona's throne, was Rapunzel.

 

Her hair was shorter, and no longer gold. It was brown and the crown rested perfectly on it as if she was the first and last ruler Corona would ever have. Her face was not as young as it had to have been twenty years ago, when she betrayed Via's father- she had grown older, her face marked with the cares of a kingdom, laugh lines around her mouth. Her eyes were green and innocent, her face freckled like Varian's and Via's were.

 

She didn't look like someone who could cause the pain she had.

 

She stared at them, at the three of them where they stood in the center of the room- at Via with the satchel on her shoulder and Caine with a dagger in her hand- but she focused her attention on Varian. There was something in her face that Via hadn't expected to see- anger, yes, plenty of it, but also a strange wistfulness, as if she still longed for the Varian of days gone by, the Varian she had once known, who had been her friend.

 

_Too bad, Your Highness. You stabbed that Varian in the back, remember?_

 

And with that thought, time snapped back into reality. It was Varian who spoke first, his voice soft and cold.

 

 "Hello, Rapunzel."

 

The words seemed to break the spell of shock that had frozen them all. The wistfulness vanished from Rapunzel's eyes, and the anxiety from Varian's, leaving them both staring at each other with nothing but fury in their gazes. The Captain of the Guard and his daughter drew their swords, but Varian, restored to the villainous confidence Via knew, held up his hands, chuckling slightly and addressing his words to the captain.

 

 "Whoa, whoa, don't shoot the messenger, Cap. I know how this looks, but really, I'm not here for any trouble."

 

 "Liar," Cassandra spat. Rapunzel stood, hands on her hips.

 

 "When have you ever been after anything else, Varian?" she demanded. "All you want is revenge."

 

 "True," Varian said nonchalantly, and the captain lifted his sword as if he might try to use it. Via spoke up.

 

 "Don't be stupid, Gramps," she said, smirking at the captain. "Take another step and you'll have to deal with this." She held up the satchel. Razelle's mouth dropped open, as if she hadn't realized just how evil Via had become until that moment. Via grinned at her. "Trust me," she said, "you don't want me to use this. I paid attention in chemistry class. Picked up a lot of new tricks." Which was, of course, an outright lie, but she was a villain after all. Varian turned to wink at her before redirecting his attention back to Rapunzel.

 

 "You're surprised to see me, I bet," he said, his lips curving up. "Well, I don't blame you for that. After all, when you watched me dragged off to your dungeons, you probably thought you'd never have to worry about me again. But something happens when you banish someone for your life. Sometimes they leave for good, yes, but sometimes they don't. Sometimes they just wait, and get stronger, and then they come back for Round Two." He took a single step forward. "I'm stronger, Rapunzel. I'm too strong for you."

 

They could argue the point, Via realized. They could try, in typical heroic fashion, to beat the odds, to win the day with swords and fists and frying pans. But, judging from the look on Rapunzel's face, she knew it wouldn't do any good. That this time, evil had truly won.

 

Varian let out a long sigh. "It sure has been a long time," he said. "You and I, we haven't caught up in a while, have we, princess? Let me fix that. Let me tell you what's happened to me since that day you walked down that black rock path and left me in the hands of fate."

 

He glanced at the captain. "I won't dwell on the dungeons. Suffice it to say it was kind of a relief when I found myself on the Isle. I made a life there, met a girl." He smiled at Lady Caine. "You know what they say. First comes love, then comes marriage, and  _then_  came the best thing that ever happened to me-" this time the smile was for Via- "but I still had a lot of time to think. And I did think, Rapunzel. I thought about you. And you know what I realized? I don't want revenge."

 

_That_  was not what Via had expected him to say.

 

 "At least," he continued, "I don't  _just_ want revenge. No." His face hardened. "I want you to suffer, Rapunzel, as much as is in my power to make you. I want you to experience the ultimate pain, the kind of pain you gave me. Now I've thought about this for a long time, and I've decided that there's only one way to inflict that kind of pain."

 

 He paused for a moment. "And that is by not doing anything at all."

 

 Once again, Via had not expected him to say that.

 

 "You see," Varian said, "I can't make you suffer the most, because I was never the one who hurt you the most. Once I realized that, I found the one mistake Auradon made when they created the Isle. Your King Beast was very, very thorough. He didn't limit the Isle just to those villains who had yet to be defeated. No, no, he included every villain, even the ones who had met their...unfortunate demise. One zap from Fairy Godmother's wand and abracadabra. The clock reverses. The hourglass flips. Fate is changed." He smiled, a wicked, sinister smile. "Not that permanent imprisonment is much of a fate, but it's better than death. And hey, thanks to Via here, that imprisonment wasn't so permanent after all, was it?"

 

 In a surprising show of boldness, he stepped up close to Rapunzel, staring her down. "So I'm not here for revenge, Rapunzel. Instead, I'm going to give you something. I'm going to give you exactly what you never gave me." His voice dropped, low and dangerous. "A family reunion."

 

Rapunzel’s face drained of color. Razelle stumbled back against Flynn’s side, and he wrapped his arm around her. Lady Caine smirked, but Via had to admit- this development startled her. It made sense, in a way, but it still surprised her that Varian’s plan for revenge involved letting someone else take it.

 

Even if that someone else was Mother Gothel.

 

At least she knew who that family friend was now.

 

But Rapunzel- oh, Rapunzel, ever the princess- was not yet reduced to utter defeat. Her voice was quiet, soft, laced with pain and pity.

 

 "Varian. I'm sorry."

 

"Of course you are, now that you can't just lock me in a cage and forget about me." Varian's reply was sharp and biting.

 

 "No. I'm sorry for you. And for who you used to be. Because once you do this- once you put Corona in the hands of my kidnapper-" she didn't call Gothel  _mother,_  Via noticed- "that person will be gone forever. This, you'll be this, forever. A villain. Is that what you want?"

 

 "Maybe it wasn't, once," Varian fired back, his eyes snapping with anger. "But I'm ready to embrace it now. Because if I'm a villain, princess, you're the one who made me into one."

 

That got a rise out of Rapunzel, and she straightened up. "Fine," she said tersely. "But what about your daughter? You might be willing to abandon your human side, Varian, but what about her? Do you want to see her grow up like that?" There was something desperate as she clutched at her last straw. 

 

 "Via!" she cried. "Via, listen to me! You don't have to be like your father! You don't have to do this! You can choose! You can choose to be good if it's what you want to do! You don't have to stay with him!"

 

 The words seemed to electrify Varian. He had turned away from Rapunzel; now he whirled around, fury and panic mingled in his eyes. His voice rose sharply.

 

 "No! No! You don't get to do that, Rapunzel, you don't get to do this again! You don't get to persuade anyone else to turn their back on me, you don't get to rip my family apart _again!_ Stop it! Stop it!"

 

 The reaction was a startling one, only for a moment. Varian was usually so calm, so self-controlled- this wasn't like him. And then Via realized why he was so afraid. He had never been sure of himself in all the years she'd known him, and now-

 

_He thinks I'll do it. He thinks I'll leave him. He thinks I'll turn my back on him like everybody else did._

 

And not just him. Rapunzel clearly thought the same, to make this hopeless last effort.  _They have no idea just what I am._  Via's blood boiled. It was one thing to see someone else betray her father. It was another thing entirely to be asked to do it herself.

 

 "You're right, Rapunzel," she said. "I do want to choose." 

 

 As she said the words, Varian's eyes flooded with pain. She reached for her father's hand, squeezing it tightly as she continued.

 

 "And guess what? I've already chosen. Auradon already gave me a chance at redemption. And that was their first mistake. They thought I wanted it. I don't. I'm just where I want to be. I pick evil, princess. And this time, evil wins." She tossed her ponytail over her shoulder, smiling her father's signature smirk.

 

 "Attagirl," Lady Caine said softly behind her. Varian only squeezed her hand as tightly as he could, blinking almost as if to ward off tears.

 

 "You won't win that easily," Cassandra said, stepping forward threateningly. "We're not just gonna lie down and let you waltz in to take over Corona. We're going to fight this, and you, and Gothel too."

 

 "I look forward to seeing that," Varian retorted. "Oh, but I do have to correct you on one small point, Cassie. I don't want to take over Corona. By the time I'm through, there won't  _be_ any Corona."

 

He drew a long sigh, running his hand through his dark hair almost regretfully. "Well, we should be going," he said. "This has been fun, but we really only stopped by to drop off the message. And you've got a guest to get ready for. Wouldn't want to impose. I'd stay to watch the family reunion, princess, seeing as how I never got mine, but, as you may remember, I'm not much for the sight of blood. Even if it is yours."

 

And with that, they left the throne room, and the heavy carved doors swung shut behind them, sealing the Sundrop Princess out of their lives forever.

 

Varian didn't waste a second. He reached out and wrapped his arms around his daughter, pressing her against his side. "Oh, Via, Via, Via," he said, tears in his voice. "I don't deserve you, sweetheart, really I don't."

 

 Via blinked away her own tears. "I'm never going to leave you, Dad," she whispered. "I'm never going to turn my back. Ever."

 

 Varian reached out, holding her close for a long moment. Finally he let her go and straightened up. "Let's get out of here," he said. "I'd really rather not see Gothel's tirade when it hits."

 

 "What are we going to do next?" Lady Caine asked, hooking her arm through his. 

 

 "Anything we want," Varian replied.

 

* * *

 

As they walked back down to the palace entrance, Via couldn't resist asking one question. "About what you said in there," she said. "Are you really going to destroy Corona completely? You're not even going to leave a little bit?"

 

 Varian laughed, his old laugh, bright and free. "No promises, Via," he said. "No promises."

 

 

 

 

 

_**THE END** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's all I've got. I'm not entirely satisfied with the ending, but I'm notoriously hard on myself, so I'm giving it to y'all anyway. I hope you're not too disappointed that we got a war of the words instead of an actual physical battle. And I hope the addition of Gothel isn't too disconcerting. It worked, okay, it just worked.
> 
> I do have plans for a sequel sometime in the future, after the second half of Season Two starts. I'm also working on a one-shot prequel. I don't currently have a social media, so if you'd like to be notified every time I update, email me directly at happieronahorse@yahoo.com. Same goes for if you've got ideas for the sequel, you think you might like to use Via in a story of your own, or you just want to talk! I love hearing from you guys, so don't be shy at all about emailing me.
> 
> That's about it for now! Love y'all.


	23. SEQUEL UPDATE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An update on Via’s villainous return!

It’s been a while, lovely readers! I’ve been crazy busy wrapping up my medieval-fantasy trilogy for publication. And of course, I’m loving the new episodes of Season Two.

But let’s get to what you’re really here for. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, everyone’s favorite Isle alchemist and her villainous family are returning at the end of April for a full-length sequel entitled “No Pretenses,” in which Via gets used to the evil new world she’s created, adapts to life in a family of three, and maybe even finds a little romance along the way. The sequel will feature more appearances by canon Tangled characters, more OCs, and more Via and Varian being the most awesome father-daughter duo ever.

Why am I telling you this early? Two reasons. First off, my plot isn’t entirely solidified yet, and I want to hear from y’all! If you have any ideas for the sequel- be they fluff, angst, characters, or anything else- comment them below! If I use them, you’ll receive full credit!

Secondly, there’s a lot of people who followed this first story, and I want to be sure you guys are kept updated. Go ahead and email me at my NEW address at crazywriter123@yahoo.com for updates, randomness, and just plain chatting! I’m here to make friends as well as share my work, so don’t be shy!!

Okay, I think that’s about it! See you all at the end of April for the second installment of Via’s nefarious adventures in Auradon!

**Author's Note:**

> Some things. First off as stated in the summary, this story is set three years after D2. Villain kids are brought over from the Isle once or twice a year, and they have integrated into Auradon Prep's system, meaning the school is now pretty evenly divided between VKs and AKs. The villain parents, however, are still stuck. And they are not happy about it.
> 
> Second off, what's the deal with Via's dad? Well, as you might have seen, Varian has changed. He's about thirty-five at this point, and nowhere close to being the sweet dorky cinnamon roll we all know and love. He's full on villain, guys. However, when he's with Via he is also not the angry, vengeful last-thing-I-ever-do psycho that ripped my heart out in Secret of the Sundrop.
> 
> The reason for this? There are a lot of them. For anyone who's read the wonderful Isle of the Lost by Melissa De La Cruz, you know the villain parents are real jerks, basically using their kids for their own means. Since that plot line was already explored so well in the movies, I decided to make Varian a little different. Since his entire goal was to make his father proud, it'd seem a little weird for him to turn around and be constantly disappointed with his daughter. So the way I see it, Varian teaches his daughter to love evil by loving her.
> 
> Varian is the center of Via's world; the bond between them is a lot stronger than any VK/parent relationship we've seen. In Via's eyes, her dad can do no wrong. Though he is using her, he's not abusive, and she's more than happy to do whatever he asks. Her dad's side of the story is the one she believes, the one she sticks to, the one that is her version of the truth. Poor kid's in for a rough ride at Auradon when just the opposite is shoved in her face.
> 
> And now let's address the elephant in the room. The Moon Theory. The Dark Kingdom. All that jazz. I believe in the Moon Theory. I also believe that Adira is Varian's mother, that she is secretly a villain, and that King Frederick needs a psychiatric evaluation because seriously dude, you are the worst excuse for a king that I have ever seen. Ahem. Rant over.
> 
> However, since I don't want to end up with a pile of rewrites on my hands as the season progresses, so far I'm sticking to the canon of the show. As we learn more, I'll throw it in there. (And if Adira really is Varian's mom, Via's going to end up with one heck of a grandma).
> 
> As for the movies, please keep in mind that while I'm going to remain as canon-compliant as possible for the first two movies, when D3 rolls around, I will more than likely throw it out the window. I have my own plans for how Via's story goes down, and I will not hesitate to massacre plot details to make it happen. That being said, I don't intend to have a heyday with it either; this is supposed to be a realistic, what-if situation that hopefully reads like it could really happen in a Descendants film. (As an aspiring actress, I may or may not entertain dreams of this fic coming to the attention of Disney and me being asked to play Via in a future movie. It's not happening, but a girl can dream).
> 
> As usual, I own absolutely nothing. Two of the songs I used when developing Via's character were: I'm Gonna Show You Crazy by Bebe Rexha, and Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato. I can only recommend the clean versions of those songs, which can be found on YouTube; I'm not a fan of the curse words used in the originals. And of course, I listened to Ready As I'll Ever Be many a time. Remember how Disney made a D2 version of Poor Unfortunate Souls for China Anne McClain? Yeah, I dream of somebody doing the same thing for Via, making a Descendants-esque remix of Ready As I'll Ever Be with female vocals. Another of my unlikely pipe dreams. 
> 
> Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this short little intro to Via's story, and I'll be back next Monday with another update (a longer one, hopefully). Please, if you are seeing this and you enjoyed the story, leave a comment. Kudos are lovely, but I treasure comments even more.
> 
> Cya!
> 
> -Silver


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